Communicable Disease Prevention and Control

Acts and Legislation

Health Protection Act

What is the Health Protection Act?

• The Health Protection Act is legislation designed to protect the health of the public. It came into effect November 1, 2005.

• The Act
  The Act can be found on the Government of Nova Scotia website at www.gov.ns.ca/legisalture/legc.
• provides the legal framework enabling public health officials to protect the public and to prevent, detect, manage, and contain health threats without unduly interfering with civil rights and liberties
• deals with notifiable diseases or conditions, communicable diseases, health hazards, public health emergencies and food safety
• lays out the duties and responsibilities of public health officials and of the Ministers responsible

User Friendly Guide to the Health Protection Act ( HPA) and Regulations

This guide provides health professionals and others who have responsibilities under the Health Protection Act and Regulations with basic information in an easy-to-use format.

The guide provides an overview only. It is not intended to be a complete description or to replace reading the statute and regulations or seeking advice from a lawyer.

A Guide to the Health Protection Act and Regulations (PDF)

Professional Roles and Responsibilities Fact Sheets

• Physicians (PDF)
• Nurses (PDF)
• Medical Laboratory Technologist (PDF)
• Health Care Administrators (PDF)
• Day Care Operators (PDF)
• School principals (PDF)

It's the Law: Reporting Notifiable Diseases and Conditions (PDF)

It's the Law: Reporting Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) Poster (PDF)