Communicable Disease
The main objectives for Catawba County Public Health's Communicable Disease staff, 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 nearly 100 diseases mandated by law as reportable to the State of NC Communicable Disease Branch(page 2 of the PDF). These diseases include foodborne, airborne, blood borne, waterborne 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, and others to ensure the affected persons and their contacts are receiving proper health care.
Health care providers should report communicable diseases using the Reporting Form for Health Care Providers(page 1 of the PDF). Some diseases must be reported within 24 hours, while others have as many as 7 days to report.
For more information on communicable diseases in North Carolina, please visit the North Carolina Communicable Disease Branch.
As of January 2026, there is an ongoing measles outbreak in South Carolina and additional cases in several North Carolina counties. Nearly all cases are in people who have not been vaccinated for measles.
- Check your immunity tool (Spanish)
- Appointments for measles vaccination can be made by calling your child's pediatrician or calling the Immunization Clinic at Public Health at (828) 695-5881.
- Information for providers
- Information for everyone
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Information for child cares/schools
- Case data
- Tips for locating your vaccination record (You can also try to contact the school system you attended and see if they have it in your permanent record.)
- Exposure locations and instructions on what to do if you believe you have been exposed
General Measles Preparation and Response Resources
Information for providers - Guidance on infection prevention in health care facilities, vaccination resources, case identification, laboratory testing, and more
- Case data
- NC Measles Vaccination Data Dashboard - includes county-level and school-level data
- American Academy of Pediatrics - Recommendations for vaccination, infection prevention in facilities, and more
NCDHHS Memos to Providers
- Provider Memo: Consideration of early MMR vaccination in areas with measles transmission – 1/21/2026
- Webinar: Measles Update for NC Providers (YouTube) – 1/9/2026
- Webinar Slides: Measles Update for Clinical Providers – 7/9/2025
- Provider Memo: Measles reporting, testing and vaccination – 6/26/2025
Catawba County Public Health Memos to Providers
- Providers urged to prepare for potential local cases of measles - 1/23/2026
- North Carolina outbreak - 1/9/2026
- South Carolina outbreak - 1/7/2026
- First case in NC - 6/25/25
Reporting Potential or Confirmed Cases of Measles
Health care providers are required by North Carolina law to report cases of measles within 24 hours to the local health department. Providers should report both suspected/probable and laboratory-confirmed cases.
Where to report
- Catawba County Public Health’s Communicable Disease Team: Call (828) 695-5823 (available 8 AM to 5 PM) or fax (828) 695-5103. You can also call (828) 695-5800 and ask for a Communicable Disease Nurse.
- North Carolina’s Communicable Disease Branch (available 24/7): Call (919) 733-3419
North Carolina’s Communicable Disease Reporting Form: https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/cd/docs/ConfidentialCommunicableDiseaseReport_Part1.pdf
Catawba County Public Health is a resource for local providers to help them make the best decisions for the health of their staff and patients. If you need additional guidance or have questions about testing, vaccinations, quarantine and isolation, call our Communicable Disease Team at (828) 695-5823.
A goal of Catawba County Public Health is to control the human risk of exposure and offer prophylaxis to people who have potentially been exposed to the deadly rabies virus, which attacks the nervous system of its victims.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a communicable, potentially deadly disease that usually affects the lungs but can attack other parts of the body as well. It is spread when a person with an active case of TB breathes out disease-causing bacteria, which are then inhaled by another person. TB is treatable and usually curable, although new drug-resistant strains are appearing that are very difficult to treat. It is vital that TB patients faithfully follow their treatment regimen and take all medications as directed, for as long as directed, or the disease can recur in a drug-resistant form.
Catawba County Public Health providesTB skin tests and risk assessments, access to chest X-rays, and preventive medication therapy.
The Communicable Disease team supports providers by answering questions regarding the administration and interpretation of tests. Medical providers who interpret a test as potentially positive should refer the patient to Catawba County Public Health for follow up.
Providers can call our Communicable Disesae staff at 828-695-5800.
For more information, visit the North Carolina Epidemiology page.
Seasonal influenza is an illness that can cause serious health complications, including pneumonia and death. The best defense against the flu is vaccination. Each year, Catawba County Public Health offers appointments in our immunization clinic for flu shots.
For information about the flu shot, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s flu shot page.
For more information on this year’s seasonal flu vaccine or to schedule a flu shot, call (828) 695-5881.
Hepatitis A, B and C are diseases of concern that can have lasting health effects if left untreated. Because this family of diseases is an issue of growing concern in Catawba County, a multidisciplinary group is working to increase awareness of the disease, increase screening and testing, increase vaccination, and coordinate treatment among health care providers. The group includes representatives from Catawba County Public Health and other health agencies throughout the county.
Catawba County Public Health helps coordinate the coalition's work, and provides free testing and immunizations for former or current drug users, patients who are HIV positive, individuals experiencing homelessness, and Baby Boomers born between 1945 and 1965. Patients must set up an appointment and be screened in the Adult Health Clinic before testing is ordered.