If you are feeling sick, contact your healthcare provider. For general questions about diseases and infections, you can always contact CK Public Health to speak to a public health nurse.

The best way to avoid getting sick is to prevent germs from spreading. Protect yourself and others by:

• Washing your hands often – find our tips on hand washing here
• Helping your body fight off infections by getting immunized – learn about immunizations here

If your child is sick, it’s important to keep your child home so that other children don’t get sick too. Read our tips for how sick is too sick to go to school or child care here.

If you are concerned about your child’s school or child care centre, you can contact CK Public Health to speak to a public health nurse.

The germs that make us sick can spread easily to other people. When you’re sick, it’s important to stay home until your body has had time to heal to protect others from getting sick. Generally, you should stay home from work if any of the following are true:

• You have a fever above 37.5 degrees Celsius
• You have a sore throat and fever
• You have a harsh cough and don’t feel able to work
• You have been throwing up or had diarrhea within the past 24 hours
• This is particularly important if you work with children or older adults or if you work with food

If you think you have food poisoning, see your healthcare provider. To report a concern, you can always contact CK Public Health to speak to a public health inspector.

An outbreak of disease happens when several people get sick with the same illness. When this happens in a retirement or long-term care home, staff may limit visiting. This is done to stop germs from spreading and to prevent people from getting sick.

If you want to visit someone at a retirement or long-term care home that is experiencing an outbreak, call before you go to find out when visiting is allowed. When you visit, help prevent diseases from spreading by using hand sanitizer before you enter and before you leave the building. 

Animal bites and scratches can spread rabies. If you have been bitten or scratched by an animal:

• Immediately flush the wound with water for at least 15 minutes
• See your healthcare provider or go to the hospital as soon as possible
• Report the bite or scratch to CK Public Health

A public health inspector will follow up with you as soon as possible. Learn more about rabies here.

If you find a tick on your body, remove it right away. Removing a tick within 24 to 36 hours can reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease. Learn how to remove a tick properly here.

For questions about immunization, you can always contact CK Public Health to speak to a public health nurse. You can also find information about immunizations on our website here.

For questions about STIs or birth control, you can always contact CK Public Health to speak to a public health nurse. You can also find information about STIs and birth control on our website here.

For TB skin testing, contact your local health care provider. TB skin testing is only available at select walk-in clinics. It is recommended to call ahead to see if this service is provided. You can find a list of walk-in clinics in Chatham-Kent here. If you have questions about TB skin testing, you can call CK Public Health to speak to a public health nurse.

You can also find information about tuberculosis on our website here.

CK Public Health does not run a walk-in clinic. You can find a list of walk-in clinics in Chatham-Kent here.

The best way to find a doctor or nurse practitioner near you is to register with Health Care Connect. Learn more here.

CK Public Health offers a travel health clinic where you can get immunized before travelling to another country. You will need to book an appointment 6 to 8 weeks before your vacation. Learn more here.