Communicable & Reportable Diseases

Chicken Pox
Kansas law dictates that clinicians must report diagnoses of specified infections, diseases, and conditions. By law those licensed to practice the healing arts, licensed dentists, licensed nurses (RN and LPN), administrators of hospitals and nursing homes, licensed social workers, physician assistants, teachers, school administrators, and laboratory administrators must report knowledge or information concerning any individual that has or has died from an infectious or contagious disease as defined in Kansas rules and regulations. Such knowledge or information must be reported immediately to the County Board of Health or local Health Officer/Administrator, along with the name and address of the person who has or is suspected of having the contagious or infectious disease. In addition, clinicians are also compelled to report disease outbreaks, animal bites, and rare diseases of public health significance.
Chicken Pox 1_thumb_thumb.jpg
Kansas statues and regulations that govern reportable disease include:
Disease Investigation:
Disease reports are made to the local health department in the jurisdiction of the patient's address. Kansas does provide a Disease Reporting Form for physicians and others to use. 

Once the report is received local public health will start a case investigation of the disease following uniform disease protocols. The local health department will follow up with the patient and patient's doctor to determine signs, symptoms, duration and treatment of the illness. This enables public health to define the disease as confirmed, probable, or suspect and establish dates that the patient may have been contagious to others. 
Lone Star Tick.jpg
A contact investigation is conducted if a person is found to have a probable or confirmed infectious reportable disease. A listing is made of all persons who may have had an association with that individual and been exposed to infection. These people are then contacted and provided education and/or prophylaxis ( vaccination or antibiotics) to prevent them from acquiring the disease.
Surveillance Activity:
Jaundice - Hepatitis A
Below is a listing of reports regarding surveillance activity or disease investigations conducted by the Ellis County Health Department in recent years. Each report is generated by the Kansas EDSS surveillance database from data entered during and after each investigation
Jaundice_thumb.bmp