Disease Prevention

 

The Disease Prevention Unit is responsible for reducing the incidence of communicable disease through prevention, surveillance, and outbreak control. This includes:

Communicable Disease Surveillance and Control

  • Conduct disease surveillance and investigation for over 90 diseases
  • Investigate disease outbreaks and recommend control measures
  • Conduct syndromic surveillance activities
  • Produce data reports and conduct special epidemiological studies

Communicable Disease Policy and Coordination

  • Set policies and make procedure recommendations for related to communicable diseases
  • Interpret and enforce state and federal laws and regulations
  • Interface with other local, state, and federal agencies and programs concerned with public health

Communicable Disease Training and Education

  • Serve as a consultant to the medical community on issues of communicable diseases
  • Provide professional education to doctors, nurses and other medical professionals
  • Provide general education to the community and community-based organizations
  • Proactively educate and address concerns and inquiries on communicable diseases

Disease Prevention

Contact:
Lori Kannally

2024 Communicable Disease Class Registration

This course has been designed/approved to meet the requirements of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Ohio Department of Education for communicable disease training in licensed child care centers. The full six-hour initial course is offered twice a year. The three-hour refresher course is designed for those staff members who have had the initial course and have not let their certification expire.

Click here to report a foodborne illness complaint

Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the branch of public health that works to describe and understand the diseases and risk factors for those diseases in our community. Epidemiologists study the factors and relationships that determine the presence, numbers, trends and distribution of diseases in communities and specific populations.

The epidemiologists at the Health District:

  • Provide information on disease prevention and control
  • Perform surveillance
  • Review health data and performs health trend analysis
  • Consult with community partners on local health issues
  • Create surveys to study health behaviors and program effectiveness then tabulates and analyzes the responses

Our epidemiologists work with staff in all areas to evaluate programs, investigate disease outbreaks and provide statistical analysis on collected data.

Healthcare providers are required by law to report certain communicable diseases to the Health District. They are required to provide the patient’s name, address, birth date, sex, phone number and diagnosis (3701-3-03 OAC). The list of reportable diseases may vary slightly from state to state. 

Reports of suspected and confirmed cases of disease are made to the local health department where the patient lives. Follow-up will be based on whether the communicable disease is suspected or lab-confirmed, number of people ill, and if the disease is on the Reportable Disease List for Ohio.

You can notify the DPHD of a reportable disease one of several ways:

  • Mail to PO Box 570, Delaware, OH 43015
  • Fax the lab result to 740-203-2044
  • Call the DPHD, 740-203-2040, and ask to speak with a member of the CD Team
  • Contact the after-hour emergency line at 740-815-6518

When a (reportable) disease report is received, a member of the Communicable Disease Team may call the patient. Information such as onset date, symptoms, treatment, and information on any other persons who are ill or have been exposed may be gathered. Information about the disease will be explained. Questions you may have will be answered.

DPHD staff will look for common sources which may cause the disease to spread. This may involve interviewing many of the affected persons if there is a large confirmed outbreak of a disease. Information such as onset date, symptoms, treatment and information on any other persons who are ill or have been exposed may be gathered. Information about the disease will be explained and questions you may have will be answered.

The Health District keeps disease reports confidential. We do not release your name to the media. We do not release your name to your co-workers, or even discuss your case with your family members without your permission. (We will speak with parents about their child’s illness except in cases of sexually transmitted diseases for which a minor can legally seek treatment without parental consent.)

We verify information on cases with the physician involved and possibly other health departments should there be an outbreak with patients living in multiple jurisdictions. A patient’s name would be released by the Health District to the media only in very rare circumstances, e.g. the patient is non-compliance and putting the health of the community at grave risk of serious illness.

Some diseases can be spread by food, water or even coughing. The Health District asks for specific information from you depending on your illness so that contacts that may become sick can be identified. We also look at possible food or water sources so that a potential outbreak can be controlled.

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