Infectious Disease Control
Information and resources regarding infectious diseases monitored by the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control
Infectious Disease Control programs investigate and record information about illnesses in a community to stop or slow the spread of the illness. These illnesses include, but are not limited to flu, sexually transmitted infections, illnesses someone has gotten while in a hospital or other healthcare setting, hepatitis, Legionnaires disease or HIV. The Infectious Disease Control Programs also watch cases of Lyme disease and rabies.
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Infectious Disease Surveillance Section
Infectious Disease Surveillance Section (IDSS)
The mission of the programs (in IDSS) is to protect and improve the health of NH citizens.
These programs:
- Watch and respond to diseases in a community.
- Collect and study information about more than 50 diseases that, by law, must be reported to public health.
- Respond to outbreaks, increases of diseases, and events that may pose a threat to public health.
Public health information can be used to:
- Prevent and control disease.
- Early event detection.
- Provide data to the public and community members.
- Watch for changes or unusual increase of disease in a community.
- Evaluate program effectiveness.
- Stimulate research and inform policies.
- Recognizing large-scale public health events such as:
- A bio-terrorism event,
- Widespread respiratory illness (example: influenza),
- An outbreak of disease, or
- Potential exposure to infectious disease (example, a breach in infection control or to highly infectious disease).
The NH Bureau of Infectious Disease Control uses several surveillance systems to monitor the health of NH citizens and relies heavily on communication between healthcare providers, laboratories, other health departments and partners. All information is handled maintaining strict confidentiality standards.
Infectious Disease Prevention, Investigation and Care Services Section (IDPICSS)
The mission of the Infectious Disease Prevention, Investigation and Care Services Section (IDPICSS) is to prevent illness, disability and death caused by infectious diseases in New Hampshire residents. IDPICSS is responsible for providing direction to:
- Prevent the spread of infectious disease,
- Public and provider education on infectious disease,
- Infectious disease outbreak investigation, and
- Financial assistance programs, for those who qualify.
Immunization Section
Immunization Section
The mission of the NH Immunization Section is to reduce or eliminate all vaccine preventable diseases. It is a resource for healthcare providers and the general public providing credible information and educational resources regarding the importance of vaccination for all vaccine-preventable diseases. The Immunization Section efforts include, but are not limited to, child and adult vaccines and vaccine management.