What is communicable disease investigation and prevention?
Disease prevention and control is a cooperative effort involving health care providers, local and state health department personnel and members of the community.
All Oregon physicians, other health care providers and laboratorians are required by law to report certain diseases and conditions to local health departments (pdf). Some cases are subject to restrictions (OAR Division 19) on school attendance, day care attendance, patient care, and food handling. Reporting enables appropriate public health follow-up for patients, helps identify outbreaks, and provides a better understanding of Oregon morbidity patterns.
Clatsop County Department of Public Health works with Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division's Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention program, to detect, track, prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases.
