Steps in Contact

Tracing for LGUs

IN PUBLIC HEALTH, CONTACT
TRACING IS
• the process of identification of persons who may have
come into contact with an infected person ("contacts")
and subsequent collection of further information
about these contacts

• by tracing the contacts of infected individuals, testing

them for infection, treating the infected and tracing
their contacts in turn, public health aims to reduce
infections in the population
GOALS OF CONTACT
TRACING
 To interrupt ongoing transmission and reduce
spread of an infection
 To alert contacts to the possibility of infection
and offer preventive counseling or
prophylactic care
 To offer diagnosis, counseling and treatment
to already infected individuals
GOALS OF CONTACT TRACING

• If the infection is treatable, to help prevent

re-infection of the originally infected
patient

• To learn about the epidemiology of a disease

in a particular population
 RELEVANCE OF CONTACTS IN NOVEL DISEASES AND
OUTBREAKS
 Contact Tracing is…
• used for control of endemic diseases, it is also a critical tool for
investigating new diseases or unusual outbreaks.
• used to determine if probable cases are linked to known cases of
the disease, and to determine if secondary transmission is taking
place in a particular community.
• initiated among flight passengers during the containment phase of
pandemics
 3 BASIC STEPS IN
CONTACT TRACING
 1. Contact Identification

• Once someone is considered as a suspect case,

contacts are identified by asking about the person’s
activities and the activities and roles of the people
around them since onset of illness
• Contacts can be anyone who has been
exposed to an infected person: family members,
work colleagues, friends, or health care providers,
and the community.
3 BASIC STEPS IN CONTACT TRACING
2. Contact listing/profiling

• All persons considered to have contact with the

infected person should be listed as contacts
• Identify every listed contact and inform them of
their contact status, what it means, the actions
that will follow, and the importance of receiving
early care if they develop symptoms.
3 BASIC STEPS IN CONTACT TRACING
 3. Contact follow-up

• Regular follow-up should be conducted with

all contacts to monitor for symptoms
possible for COVID-19
• In some cases, quarantine or isolation is
required for close contacts either at home, or
in hospital.
WHO IS A COVID 19 CASE?
 FORM A. CASE INVESTIGATION FORM
2019 COVID-19 CASE CLASSIFICATION
Suspect Case – is a person who is presenting with any of the
following conditions
1. All SARI cases where No other etiology fully explains
the clinical
presentation
2. ILI cases with any one of the following:
1. With no other etiology that fully explains the clinical
presentation AND a history of travel to or residence in an
area that reported local transmission of COVID-19 disease
during the 14 days prior to symptoms onset OR
2. With contact to a confirm or probable case of COVID-19
in the two days prior to onset of illness of the
probable/confirmed COVID-19 case until the time the
probable/confirmed COVID-19 case became negative on
repeat testing
3. Individuals with fever or cough or shortness of breath or
other respiratory signs and symptoms fulfilling any one of
the following: Age 60 years and above, with a
comorbidity, assessed as having a high-risk pregnancy,
health workers.
 FORM A. CASE INVESTIGATION FORM
2019 COVID-19 CASE CLASSIFICATION
Probable case – a suspect case who fulfill anyone of the
following listed below.
1. Suspect case whom testing for COVID-19 is
inconclusive
2. Suspect who tested positive for COVID-19 but whose
test was not conducted in a national or subnational
reference laboratory or officially accredited laboratory
for COVID-19 confirmatory testing
3. Suspect case who died without undergoing any
confirmatory testing

Confirmed case – any individual, irrespective of presence or

absence of clinical signs and symptoms, who was laboratory
confirmed for COVID-19 in a test conducted at the national
reference laboratory, a subnational reference laboratory,
and/or DOH-certified laboratory testing facility.
WHO IS A CONTACT OF A COVID 19
CASE?
CLOSE CONTACT CATEGORIES AND DEFINITIONS
Category Definition
This includes passengers of a flight or sea vessel, bus, train, or
other transportation/vehicle whose seat is located four
A rows in front, at the back, or at any side of a confirmed case who
is still in the Philippines

This includes passengers of a flight or sea vessel, bus, train, or

other transportation/vehicle whose seat is located four rows in
B front, at the back, or at any side of
a confirmed case who had already left the Philippines
 CLOSE CONTACT CATEGORIES AND DEFINITIONS
Category Definition
This includes persons who have had exposure when
they lived with, worked with*, transacted with*, or
cared for a confirmed case.
World Health Organization has recommended that this
will include individuals who had a face-to-face
contact with a confirmed case for at least a 15-
C minute conversation within 1- meter from the
confirmed case OR was shared an enclosed space for a
minimum of 2 hours with a confirmed
case.
CLOSE CONTACT CATEGORIES AND DEFINITIONS

Category Definition
This includes passengers or crew of
D vehicles/vessels taken/used by, and
persons who lived with, worked
with, transacted with, or cared for a
suspect who died
during their 14-day monitoring
period
What is the difference
between isolation and
quarantine?
QUARANTINE
 Used by Governments to stop the
spread of contagious diseases
 for people or groups who don’t have
symptoms but were exposed to the
sickness
 keeps people away from others so they
don’t unknowingly infect anyone
ISOLATION
 isolation serves the same purpose as
quarantine

 it’s reserved for those who are

already sick

 It keeps infected people away from

healthy people to prevent the
sickness from spreading
ISOLATION AND QUARANTINE HELP
PROTECT THE PUBLIC BY PREVENTING
EXPOSURE TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE OR
MAY HAVE A CONTAGIOUS DISEASE.
 Isolation separates sick people with a
contagious disease from people who are not
sick

 Quarantine separates and restricts the movement

of people who were exposed to a contagious
disease to see if they become sick
Thank
you!