Author: Kailee Curtis

Communicable Disease Control

Local Health Department

Communicable diseases are infectious diseases that can be transmitted (spread) to humans. Some ways in which communicable diseases are spread include person-to-person, contact with contaminated surfaces, through air or water, or by a vector, such as an insect. In Michigan, there are currently almost 100 reportable diseases. Michigan local health departments work with a variety of health care and laboratory partners to control the spread of communicable diseases through testing, treatment, prevention, control, and education.

Key Positions
CD Coordinator
Public Health Nurse
Billing/Support Staff
Public Health Physician
Regional Epidemiologist

From 2014 to 2017, the reported number of Michigan communicable disease cases has increased by 58%.

Meets Public Health Standards:

ü	Michigan Public Health Code
ü	Michigan Local Public Health Accreditation
ü	Public Health Accreditation Board

Services:
Local health departments that participate in communicable disease control offer services such as communicable disease screenings and communicable disease treatment, depending on the capacity of the health department. Additional activities in communicable disease prevention in local health departments can include contact tracing, expedited partner therapy (in cases of STDs), health promotion and education, and disease prevention when applicable (i.e. immunizations).
Communicable disease control is a collaborative effort between health department staff, regional epidemiologists, community partners and local health providers and hospitals.

Statewide Communicable Disease Control Funding Sources
(N=32 Local Health Departments)

Goals:
Local health department communicable disease programs prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases by:
Identifying cases through testing and reporting
Conducting surveillance and data analysis
Recommending and instituting infection control measures to slow and stop outbreaks
Providing education to patients, health care providers, and the community
Ensuring timely reporting of cases to the state health department

Impact:
Since 2016, 35 local jurisdictions have responded to a statewide hepatitis A outbreak. Over 200,000 adult hepatitis A vaccines were given in outbreak jurisdictions. This effort has helped to contain the one of the largest hepatitis A outbreaks in recent history.

Created by the Barry-Eaton District Health Department for the Michigan Association of Local Public Health with funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. August 2018.
*32 of Michigan’s local health departments indicated that they offer communicable disease screening and/or treatment services (of 41 who participated in the survey). Participants might not have answered each question.