7.10 The Importance of an Outbreak Control Committee in Cases of Large or Serious Outbreaks
The goal of outbreak management is to protect population health by defining the virus’s origin and putting control measures to prevent it from spreading or recurring.
The outbreak control committee (OCT) is in charge of the outbreak’s planning, inquiry, and control, including:
- Reviewing all available evidence, including microbiology reports and epidemiological data, to confirm an outbreak incidence.
- Coming up with a case definition.
- Describing the epidemic in terms of time, people, and location, including onset dates, incubation periods, and case outcomes(s).
- Communicating with the health protection team.
- Determining whether the outbreak should be classified as an adverse event.