|
Communicable Disease Program
| Communicable Disease Program Resources |
Epidemiology and control of preventable diseases and disorders:
Public Health staff (public health nurses, environmental health specialists, and the health officer) follow up on any confirmed or suspected cases of 42 diseases and 9 other conditions for which medical providers and labs in Coos County are required by law to report to the health department.
We coordinate these reports with state public health. We work to identify the cause or source of any outbreak, identify those who have been exposed to communicable disease, provide health guidance and preventive measures, when appropriate and available (e.g., vaccines and medications) and work to prevent the spread or recurrence of disease. Our health department's lab also reports for any clients that we have diagnosed in our clinic.
Staff in this program provide consultation to health providers in the community and education to the general public on communicable diseases.
Investigation of all communicable disease reports is initiated within the current time lines provided to us under our state assurances. Completion of investigation forms and submission to DHS/HS is also within these time lines.
To respond to the CD pager calls on a 24/7 basis, all nurses in the department have been trained in basic CD investigation, as well as 2 environmental health specialists. A large outbreak or public health emergency would require far greater resources than this department has available.
|
|
