The main objectives for Catawba County Public Health Communicable Disease, under the direction of and in collaboration with the NC General Communicable Disease Control Branch, are:

• To promptly investigate disease outbreaks and unusual situations and to implement control measures to minimize further transmission of disease
• To monitor disease reporting by physicians and laboratories in order to detect trends
• To provide a channel of communication between Catawba County Public Health, private physicians, and hospital and occupational infection control personnel, as an essential part of disease control efforts
• To explain public health interventions and disseminate health education messages to the community in order to enhance disease control efforts.

There are 94 different diseases mandated by law as reportable to the State of NC Communicable Branch. These diseases range from food borne, airborne, blood borne, water borne or vector borne (e.g., insect bites).   In addition to legally reportable diseases, Catawba County communicable disease nurses assist with other public health concerns such as MRSA, lice, dog bites, etc. to ensure the affected persons and their contacts are receiving proper healthcare.

For more information, please visit the North Carolina Communicable Disease Branch website:
http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/gcdc/manual/toc.html

For information about our Tuberculosis (TB) program, click on the following link: Tuberculosis (TB) Program