Epidemiology
Services provided include:
- Collection and Reporting of data associated with reportable diseases.
- Works closely with medical providers in the Nolan, Scurry, Fisher, & Mitchell County areas to prevent and control the spread of communicable diseases.
- Monitor trends that might indicate a biological or chemical threat
- Why report? Several Texas laws require that certain conditions be reported to the state or local health department (the Sweetwater-Nolan County Health Department).
- The Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Act (Health & Safety Code, Chapter 81)
- Article 97, Title 25, Texas Administrative Code
All reports and sources of reports are strictly confidential. - Who is responsible for reporting communicable diseases?
- Physicians, dentists, veterinarians, chiropracters
- Hospitals and hospital laboratories
- School authorities, including a superintendent, principal, teacher, school health official or counselor
- Any person having knowledge of a suspected reportable condition
- How long can I wait to report? The sooner a disease is reported, the better. Timely reports enable:
- Early outbreak detection
- Identification of risk factors
- Intervention to interrupt spread of disease
- Implementation and assessment of control factors
- Determination of extent of morbidity/mortality
- Dissiminating of information
- Planning for the future
- Where do I report a suspected reportable condition?
Call...
The Sweetwater-Nolan County Health Department Surveillance at (325) 235-5463
All information is confidential including the source of a communicable disease report.
- What is reportable? Confirmed or suspected cases of the following and any outbreaks, exotic disease, or unusual group expression of illness:
| Conditions Immediately Reportable | |
|---|---|
Anthrax Botulism, foodborne Controlled Substance Overdose Diphtheria Haemophilus influenzae type b infections, invasive Lead, adult blood, any level Lead, child blood, any level Measles (rubeola) Meningococcal infections, invasive Plague | Poliomyelitis, acute paralytic Rabies, human Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Smallpox Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant (VISA and VRSA) Tularemia Viral hemorrhagic fever Yellow fever |
Conditions Reportable Within One Working Day | |
|---|---|
Brucellosis Hepatitis A (acute) Influenza-associated pediatric mortality Pertussis | Q fever Rubella (including congenital) Tuberculosis Vibrio infection, including cholera |
Conditions Reportable Within One Week | |
|---|---|
AIDS (use STD form) Amebiasis Arbovirus infection Asbestosis Botulism, infant, wound, and other Campylobacteriosis Chancroid (use STD form) Chickenpox (varicella) Chlamydia trachomatis infection (use STD form) Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) Cryptosporidiosis Cyclosporiasis Cysticercosis Dengue Ehrlichiosis Encephalitis (specify etiology) Escherichia coli, enterohemorrhagic Gonorrhea (use STD form) Hansen’s disease (leprosy) Hantavirus infection Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) Hepatitis B (acute and chronic) identified prenatally or at delivery Hepatitis B, C, D, E, and unspecified (acute) | Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (use STD form) Legionellosis Leishmaniasis Listeriosis Lyme disease Malaria Meningitis (specify type) Mumps Pesticide poisoning, acute occupational Relapsing fever Salmonellosis, including typhoid fever Shigellosis Silicosis Spotted fever group rickettsioses Streptococcal disease (group A, B, S. pneumo), invasive Syphilis (use STD form) Taenia solium and undifferentiated Taenia infection Tetanus Trichinosis Typhus West Nile Fever Yersiniosis |
Conditions Reportable Within 10 Work Days | |
|---|---|
Drowning/near drowning Spinal cord injury | Traumatic brain injury |
Conditions Reportable Within 1 Month |
|---|
Contaminated sharps injury |
Laboratories are required to report vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus species, vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus species, and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae directly to the Texas Department of Health.
Laboratories, blood banks, mobile units and other facilities in which a laboratory examination of a blood specimen is made are required to report patients with a CD4+ T lymphocyte cell count below 200 cells per microliter of CD4+ T lymphocyte percentage less than 14%
To report a suspected or confirmed case of a condition listed above, contact :
Tammy Tyrrell, R.N. - (325) 235-5463
Source : Article 97, Title 25, Texas Administrative Code
