Disease Reporting

Communicable diseases are a danger to everyone. Some have been controlled with vaccinations and modern treatments, while others are emerging or resistant to drug treatments. Disease prevention and control is a cooperative effort involving health care providers, local and state health department personnel and members of the community. 

KHHD works to prevent the emergence and spread of communicable diseases such as salmonellosis, influenza, hepatitis, and tuberculosis. This includes collecting and analyzing disease reports, study risk factors, educating exposed individuals and families, and planning and responding to public health emergencies involving communicable disease.

The State of Ohio requires certain diseases of public health concern to be reported to their local health department. These reports are used to protect the public’s health by quickly identifying outbreaks. Examples of some reportable illnesses include: measles, whooping cough, and chickenpox. Also reportable include food related illnesses such as Salmonella and E. Coli. A complete list of reportable diseases can be found here while the regulations appear in the Ohio Administrative Code Chaper 3701-3.

According to the Ohio Administrative Code all laboratories, physicians, hospitals, and other health professionals are required to report suspected and confirmed cases of certain infectious disease to the Local Health Department. Reportable diseases are of public health concern due to their severity, potential for epidemic spread, and cause for public health concern. Diseases should be reported promptly to prevent secondary transmission.

Prompt notification of a communicable disease allows public health officials to:

• Control and prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
• Determine the level of disease in the community.
• Facilitate surveillance, prevention, and outbreak control.