The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department’s Epidemiology Team is comprised of Sanitarians, Nurses, and Health Services staff. The team investigates and monitors cases of communicable disease in order to identify and eliminate sources of infection.

The team receives reports of patients with confirmed communicable diseases from doctor’s offices, hospitals, and local laboratories. The team calls the patients, completes a Confidential Communicable Disease Report Form, and provides education about the disease.

The team also investigates general food and environmental complaints. When a complaint is called in to the department a Food Related Alert Form is completed and forwarded to the team and the appropriate sanitarian.

The team performs active surveillance by entering the information it gathers into a database and monitoring it for peaks and trends.

If you have questions regarding the Epidemiology Team contact Eric Zgodzinski at (419) 213.4166.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Center’s for Disease Control: Health Topics A-Z
http://www.cdc.gov/health/diseases.htm#M

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide information on numerous diseases. Click on this link, move to the top of the page, click on the letter with which your topic of interest starts, and then locate it in the list.

Ohio Department of Health Fact Sheets
http://www.odh.state.oh.us/Resources/publications/IDCManual
/dcmweb/sect3TOC.pdf

The Ohio Department of Health provides information on numerous diseases. Click this link, locate the disease of interest, and then click “Fact Sheet”.

Center’s for Disease Control: Foodborne Illnesses
http://www.cdc.gov/health/foodill.htm

The Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention provide a list of foodborne illnesses as well as information regarding food safety.

Center’s for Disease Control: Waterborne Illness
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/waterborne/default.htm

The Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention provide information on illnesses associated with drinking water and recreational water.

Center’s for Disease Control: Traveler’s Health
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm

The Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention provide information regarding disease and illness prevalent in foreign countries and how to protect yourself when you travel.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EPIDEMIOLOGY?
The Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention offer online epidemiology curriculum. Sessions include “Science Olympiad” and “Disease Detectives at Work”.
http://www.cdc.gov/excite/slides/lectur.htm

E. coli
http://web.bham.ac.uk/bcm4ght6/res.html

Anthrax
http://www.bact.wisc.edu/Bact330/lectureanthrax

Salmonella
Modern Art Painting Titled “Salmonellla” by Dan M. Beers
http://www.metrolink.net/beers/page2.htm

Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, Listeria, E. coli, Hepatitis
http://www.about-salmonella.com/main.html