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Infectious disease regulations
Page content: Introduction | Health (infectious diseases) (amendment) regulations 2008 | Changes to current regulations | Current regulations | School exclusion table | Download documents
Introduction
The Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2001 and the Health (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2001 came into effect on Tuesday 15 May 2001.
The Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations aim to:
- Provide for the notification of certain infectious diseases
- Protect public health by preventing, or containing, outbreaks of infectious diseases; and
- Encourage proprietors of businesses or the persons in charge of premises to provide and maintain an environment that is safe from the spread of infectious diseases.
The Health (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations aim to:
- Prevent overcrowding in prescribed accommodation;
- Ensure a reasonable standard of hygiene, sanitation and safety in prescribed accommodation; and
- Minimise the risk of airborne and other communicable diseases among people living in prescribed accommodation.
Health (Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Regulations 2008
The Health (Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 came into effect on 21 September 2008.
The amendments to the regulations are as follows:
- List varicella-zoster virus infection (chickenpox and herpes zoster) as a Group B notifiable disease.
- Add the collection of country of birth and if born overseas, year of arrival in Australia to Schedule 4 of the regulations.
- Amend the school exclusion table (schedule 6) for Influenza contacts to read “Not excluded unless considered necessary by the Secretary”.
The following fact sheet outlines the changes to the regulations as they relate to medical practitioners/pathology services/schools and children’s services centres.
Current regulations
The following Regulations are available from the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website maintained by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2001
Health (Prescribed Accommodation) Regulations 2001
School exclusion table
Schedule 6: Minimum period of exclusion from schools and children's services centres for infectious diseases cases and contacts.
The following table indicates the minimum period of exclusion from schools and children’s service centres required for infectious diseases cases and contacts as prescribed under Regulations 13 and 14 of the Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 2001 – Schedule 6. In this Schedule ‘medical certificate’ means a certificate of a registered medical practitioner.
| Disease or Condition | Exclusion of Cases | Exclusion of Contacts |
| Amoebiasis (Entamoeba histolytica) | Exclude until diarrhoea has ceased. | Not excluded. |
| Campylobacter | Exclude until diarrhoea has ceased. | Not excluded. |
| Chickenpox | Exclude until fully recovered or for at least 5 days after the eruption first appears. Note that some remaining scabs are not a reason for continued exclusion. | Any child with an immune deficiency (for example, leukaemia) or receiving chemotherapy should be excluded for their own protection. Otherwise not excluded. |
| Conjunctivitis (Acute infectious) | Exclude until discharge from eyes has ceased. | Not excluded. |
| Diarrhoea | Exclude until diarrhoea has ceased or until medical certificate of recovery is produced. | Not excluded. |
| Diphtheria | Exclude until medical certificate of recovery is received following at least two negative throat swabs, the first not less than 24 hours after finishing a course of antibiotics and the other 48 hours later. | Exclude family/household contacts until cleared to return by the Secretary. |
| Haemophilus type b (Hib) | Exclude until medical certificate of recovery is received. | Not excluded. |
| Hand, Foot and Mouth disease | Until all blisters have dried | Not excluded. |
| Hepatitis A | Exclude until a medical certificate of recovery is received, but not before 7 days after the onset of jaundice or illness. | Not excluded. |
| Herpes ("cold sores") | Young children unable to comply with good hygiene practices should be excluded while the lesion is weeping. Lesions to be covered by dressing, where possible. | Not excluded. |
| Human immuno-deficiency virus infection (HIV/AIDS) | Exclusion is not necessary unless the child has a secondary infection | Not excluded. |
| Impetigo | Exclude until appropriate treatment has commenced. Sores on exposed surfaces must be covered with a watertight dressing. | Not excluded. |
| Influenza and influenza like illnesses | Exclude until well. | Not excluded unless considered necessary by the Secretary. |
| Leprosy | Exclude until approval to return has been given by the Secretary |
Not excluded. |
| Measles | Exclude until at least 4 days after the onset of rash. | Immunised contacts not excluded. Unimmunised contacts should be excluded until 14 days after the first day of appearance of rash in the last case. If unimmunised contacts are vaccinated within 72 hours of their first contact with the first case they may return to school. |
| Meningitis (bacteria) | Exclude until well. | Not excluded. |
| Meningococcal infection | Exclude until adequate carrier eradication therapy has been completed. | Not excluded if receiving carrier eradication therapy. |
| Mumps | Exclude for 9 days or until swelling goes down (whichever is sooner). | Not excluded. |
| Poliomyelitis | Exclude for at least 14 days from onset. Re-admit after receiving medical certificate of recovery. | Not excluded. |
| Ringworm, scabies, pediculosis (head lice) | Re-admit the day after appropriate treatment has commenced. | Not excluded. |
| Rubella (german measles) | Exclude until fully recovered or for at least four days after the onset of rash. | Not excluded. |
| Salmonella, Shigella | Exclude until diarrhoea ceases | Not excluded. |
| Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) | Exclude until medical certificate of recovery is produced. | Not excluded unless considered necessary by the Secretary. |
| Streptococcal infection (including scarlet fever) | Exclude until the child has received antibiotic treatment for at least 24 hours and the child feels well. | Not excluded. |
| Trachoma | Re-admit the day after appropriate treatment has commenced. | Not excluded. |
| Tuberculosis | Exclude until receipt of a medical certificate from the treating physician stating that the child is not considered to be infectious. | Not excluded. |
| Typhoid (including paratyphoid fever) | Exclude until approval to return has been given by the Secretary. | Not excluded unless considered necessary by the Secretary. |
| Verotoxin producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) | Exclude if required by the Secretary and only for the period specified by the Secretary. | Not excluded. |
| Whooping cough | Exclude the child for 5 days after starting antibiotic treatment. | Exclude unimmunised household contacts aged less than 7 years and close child care contacts for 14 days after the last exposure to infection or until they have taken 5 days of a 10 day course of antibiotics. |
| Worms (Intestinal) | Exclude if diarrhoea present. | Not excluded. |
Exclusion of cases and contacts is not required for Cytomegalovirus Infection, Glandular fever (mononucleosis), Hepatitis B or C, Hookworm, Cytomegalovirus Infection, Molluscum contagiosum, or, Parvovirus (erythema infectiosum fifth disease).