Escambia County Health Department
Trusted Professionals Protecting You Since 1821
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Disease Control & Prevention The Epidemiology department is primarily charged with the reporting and control of communicable diseases and conditions that may significantly affect public health as specified in Florida Administrative Code Chapter 64D-3. Our staff is directly responsible for investigating over 50 reportable conditions with the exception of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases (STD).
Every January, the Epidemiology department compiles a report for the previous year activities:
Our staff also authors a quarterly newsletter “Epi Express”:
o October 2007
o July 2007
o April 2007
o January 2007
The Epidemiology department investigates reports of disease in the community. An outbreak occurs when two or more unrelated individuals present similar symptoms and can be linked through a shared location or time (e.g. ate at the same restaurant within a few days of each other or attended the same conference). Following a report, the Epidemiology staff conducts phone or face-to-face interviews of sick individuals to determine how and when they became ill and to determine if others have been exposed. If the investigation implicates a local facility (restaurant, school, or daycare) an inspection of the establishment, if warranted, is carried out by representatives of the Epidemiology program and the Environmental Health. The Epidemiology program implements local policies for disease prevention and develops intervention strategies for disease containment. For example, Escambia County Health Department has the authority to temporarily close a child care facility or exclude specific food-handlers from work. The Epidemiology department also partners with our community providers (daycares, schools, nursing homes and other institutional settings) to keep our citizens safe and in good health. If you need to report an outbreak of Influenza–like or gastrointestinal illnesses in your facility, please use one of the following line lists and fax it to (850) 595-6268.
For
School K-12 and Childcare centers:
Influenza-like
Illness
For
Long-term care centers:
Gastrointestinal Illness-Resident
Animal bites or injuries require immediate attention and possibly a visit to a primary physician or Emergency Room because domesticated and feral animals can transmit a large number of diseases to humans. Special attention and urgency should be given to injuries involving small children (up to 2 yrs old) or injuries located above the neck and shoulders (i.e. face bites). In the state of Florida, bites involving animals should be reported to a local county health department. Even though only animal injuries requiring rabies post-exposure prophylaxis are reportable to the Florida Department of Health, the Epidemiology staff counsels victims on proper wound care and informs them of other possible health risks. If you need to report an animal bite, contact the Escambia County Environmental Health division at (850) 595-6700. If the bite is from a cat, dog, or ferret, Environmental Health staff is responsible for attempting to locate the animal and making sure it is kept in observation at the owners’ home or the local animal control facility for a 10-day quarantine. The bite report is then forwarded to the Epidemiology department for evaluation. Rabies immunoglobulin and vaccine are available at our county health department and may be provided to our county health care providers. Related Links Rabies Control
The Escambia County Health Department is actively planning for an efficient response to health emergencies occurring in our community. The Epidemiology department is part of the emergency responder team along with the Public Health Preparedness department and the Environmental Health division. The Epidemiology staff is trained to respond to man-made emergencies (bioterrorism) and naturally occurring health threats (i.e. Pandemic Influenza and Hurricane Response). They are responsible for evaluating our community’s health needs and for assisting in any mass immunization or prophylaxis (antibiotics and/or immunizations). Related Links:Dead Birds
On occasions, the Epidemiology department investigates general health concerns voiced by our county residents.
Since October 2006, The Epidemiology department and representatives from the
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Related Links Saufley Field Landfill
The Epidemiology department is available to our community partners and health care providers for guidance regarding disease reporting regulations and health education. If you are interested in receiving education about disease reporting and/or disease prevention and control please call for (850) 595-6683 for more information.
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