University of Technology, Sydney

Staff directory | Campus maps | Newsroom | What's on
Safety and Wellbeing Home

Medical exclusion of adults at UTS

Guidelines for medical exclusion of adults at UTS with specified infectious diseases

Updated November 2007

Download a PDF version:
Guidelines for medical exclusion of adults at UTS with specified infectious diseases (PDF, 73 kB).

This table lists infectious diseases and the corresponding UTS guidelines for the exclusion of cases and contacts for adults at UTS:

Infectious disease Exclusion of cases Exclusion of contacts
Chicken pox Exclude for at least 5 days after the spots appear and until all blisters have formed scabs Any child with an immune deficiency should be excluded for their own protection. Otherwise not excluded. (Pregnant women should seek medical advice)
Cold sores (Herpes simplex) Not excluded. Carers with cold sores should not look after babies younger than 2 months. Not excluded
Common cold Not excluded Not excluded
1 Conjunctivitis Exclude until discharge from eyes has ceased. Not excluded
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Not excluded Not excluded (Pregnant women should seek medical advice)
1 Diarrhoea (rotavirus) campylobacter, cryptosporidium, shigella salmonella etc; see also Giardia Exclude until diarrhoea has ceased (campylobacter and shigella may require antibiotic treatment; advice may be obtained from the local public health unit) 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 by public health authority
Erythema Infectiosum (fifth disease) Not excluded Not excluded (pregnant women should seek medical advice)
1 Giardia Excluded until person has received appropriate antibiotic treatment for at least 4 days Not excluded (stool testing suggested if contact has diarrhoea)
Glandular fever Not excluded Not excluded
1 Haemophilus Influenzae type b (HIB) Exclude until medical certificate of recovery is received Not excluded
Hand, foot and mouth disease Not excluded Not excluded
Hepatitis A Exclude until a medical certificate of recovery is received, but not before seven days after the onset of jaundice or illness. Not excluded
Hepatitis B Not excluded Not excluded
Hepatitis C Not excluded Not excluded
Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) Not excluded unless another infection requires exclusion Not excluded
1 Impetigo (school sores) Exclude until appropriate treatment has commenced. Sores on exposed surfaces must be covered with a watertight dressing. Not excluded
1 Influenza

There is further information about influenza
During influenza outbreaks, exclude for 5 days after start of symptoms Not excluded
Leprosy Exclude until allowed to return by public health authority Not excluded
Measles Exclude for 4 days after the rash first appears Immunised contacts not excluded.
Unimmunised contacts are to be immunised within 72 hours of contact with a case, or they will be excluded for the duration of the outbreak as determined by the public health unit.
Meningitis, bacterial Exclude until well Not excluded (contact local Public Health Unit regarding need for preventative antibiotics for family and child-care contacts)
Meningococcal infection Exclude until appropriate antibiotic treatment has been completed Not excluded
Mumps Exclude for nine 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
1 Ringworm (tinea), scabies, pediculosis (head lice), trachoma Exclude until day after treatment is started Not excluded (it may be advisable for all household contacts to be treated at the same time as the case)
Roseola Not excluded Not excluded
Rubella (German measles) Exclude for 4 days after rash appears Not excluded (pregnant women should seek advice)
Streptococcal infection and scarlet fever Exclude until 24 hours of antibiotics has been given Not excluded
Tuberculosis and paratyphoid fever2 Exclude until medical certificate is produced from appropriate health authority Not excluded (2unless considered necessary by public health authorities)
Whooping cough (Pertussis) Exclude for five days after starting antibiotic treatment. Exclude unimmunised household contacts for first 5 days of an appropriate course of antibiotics. If antibiotics not taken exclude for 21 days since last exposure when the person was infectious.

Notes

1 Not excluded for adult population at a tertiary institution as long as appropriate hygiene is maintained.
2 Not excluded, unless considered necessary by public health authorities.