The
Division of Epidemiology and Immunization
The Division of Epidemiology and Immunization is responsible for
the investigation of outbreaks of communicable diseases, surveillance
of reportable diseases, and provision of educational materials and
services to assist communities in reducing the incidence of communicable
diseases.
Epidemiology Program helps protect the residents of the Commonwealth
from foodborne illnesses, emerging infectious illnesses, and other
communicable diseases. Major goals of the program are:
- the prevention of rabies in humans and domestic animals (of
critical importance since the arrival of the raccoon rabies epizootic
in the fall of 1992),
- the surveillance of emerging and re-emerging infections and
- interruption of transmission of communicable diseases.
Special initiatives of the program include expanding hepatitis
C prevention and control efforts, addressing the threat of bioterrorism
through preparedness activities, and implementing active surveillance
for Lyme disease and antibiotic resistant organisms.
Immunization Program ensures the complete and timely vaccination
of all children in the Commonwealth to prevent the occurrence of
vaccine-preventable diseases. The Immunization Program universally
provides all recommended childhood vaccines to public and private
providers and to school-based programs.
Another major focus includes a series of assessment activities
to identify pockets of under immunized children. Regionally based
epidemiologists and nurses work to identify and remove barriers
to immunization services. Through its educational activities and
its collaborations with public and private agencies, the Program
is providing families and communities with the resources and tools
necessary to identify local needs and ensure the delivery of immunizations
to all children.
An ongoing initiative involves the development of a statewide immunization
tracking system that will give individual providers the ability
to assess a child's immunization status at every encounter with
the health care system.
The program also has recently expanded adult immunization activities
with a focus on increasing influenza and pneumococcal vaccination
rates and preparing for the next influenza pandemic.
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