Glossary of Public Health Terms

Administrative penalty: a penalty levied by a designated public service employee. A penalty may consist of a fine and/or action to remedy the public health hazard.

Communicable disease: an illness caused by an infectious agent or its toxic products.

Diagnostic examination: a medical test or exam conducted for the purpose of identifying an infectious or hazardous agent or managing a health condition. A diagnostic examination includes the collection of bodily fluids and substances, diagnostic imaging examinations, skin testing and psychological testing.

Hazardous agent: anything that may cause a serious health risk if a person is contaminated with it, or indicates the presence of a contaminant that poses a health risk (e.g. a mercury spill in a school).

Health hazard: means something that adversely affects public health or interferes with the suppression of infectious or hazardous agents. Something can also be prescribed a "health hazard" as a result of being associated with injury or illness, or failing to meet a given health standard.

Health impediment: something prescribed by regulation that has long-term, cumulative effects that endanger public health, cause chronic disease or disability, interfere with the prevention of injury or illness, or are associated with poor population health (e.g. trans fats in food).

Health officer: an environmental health officer, medical health officer or the provincial health officer.

Infectious agent: a prescribed agent that could cause an illness and may be transmitted by an infected person or thing, through a thing, the environment or other means (e.g. West Nile Virus, food borne parasites).

Prescribe: Means to prescribe by regulation.

Preventive measure: means actions taken for the purpose of: preventing illness; promoting health; preventing transmission of an infectious agent; and/or preventing contamination by a hazardous agent. Examples of preventive measures include: vaccinations and preventive medications; decontamination measures; and wearing personal protective equipment (e.g. a protective mask).

Public health: the organized effort of society to protect and improve the health and well-being of the population through

health monitoring, assessment and surveillance
health promotion
reducing inequalities in health status
prevention of disease, injury, disorder, disability and premature death, and
protection from environmental hazards to health.

This is done through an appropriate balancing of the rights and responsibilities of individuals and organizations and the responsibility of government to protect and promote health.

Public health emergency: a public health emergency is the occurrence of an event that: has a serious public health impact and requires immediate intervention; is unusual or unexpected; will likely result in the spread of an infectious or hazardous agent to other jurisdictions; and/or will likely result in travel or trade restrictions e.g. a pandemic flu outbreak.

Public health plan: a plan to protect and promote health and well-being. Purposes of public health plans include: identify the needs of specific populations; monitor and assess the health status of the population; prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of diseases, disabilities, injuries, health hazards and health impediments; and facilitate the delivery of public health functions.

Regulation: provides detailed rules that are not found in the Act such as definitions, detailed licensing requirements, performance specification, exemptions, and forms. For example, the Public Health Act allows creating regulations the provide detailed rules in relation to communicable disease reporting and control, swimming pool construction and operation, health impediment control (e.g. trans fats in restaurants) and onsite domestic sewage disposal systems.

Syndrome: a health condition that is characterized by a group of signs and symptoms, and has an adverse health effect (e.g. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome).