Programs

Unfortunately, there are still thousands of other communicable and chronic diseases which continue to plague mankind. The Wayne County Department of Public Health Disease Control Division consists of several major program units to help control and prevent both communicable and chronic disease in Wayne County, Michigan.

These program areas include:

• Disease Control [below]
• Epidemiology and Surveillance [below]
• Biologics [below]
• The School Immunization Program [below]
• The Venereal Disease Control Program [below]
• The Tuberculosis Disease Control Program [below]
• The Laboratory [below]
• The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome/Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevention Program [below]

Disease Control

Health departments were established throughout the United States in the early 1900's to help protect our citizens from diseases and especially communicable diseases. In Michigan, Public Act 368 of the Public Health Code legally mandates local health departments with the authority to provide disease control activities.

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Epidemiology and Surveillance

The Disease Control, Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit is responsible for the coordination of all disease reporting for the out Wayne County areas. Individual disease investigations for mandatory reportable and unusual disease occurrences are initiated through this program. This unit is also responsible for outbreak investigations and control activities. Epidemiology which is the study of disease in human populations is utilized for monitoring diseases by type, geographical distribution and other demographic characteristics.

Analysis of disease trends as well as outbreak investigations are used to determine disease causations and appropriate control measures. This unit provides information to physicians, hospitals and the community for all diseases. The unit is also involved in the data gathering and analysis for chronic diseases. This includes investigations of chronic disease clustering that may occur with cancer, infant mortality and other diseases.

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Biologics

The Biologics Program is responsible for the ordering and distribution of a variety of vaccines to various health department clinics and physicians throughout the county. These include immunizations used to prevent childhood and adult vaccine preventable diseases as well as for individuals who may encounter certain diseases during travel outside of the United States.

The biologic program in conjunction with disease surveillance coordinates the administration of immune globulins for exposures to diseases such as hepatitis, measles and rabies. The biologics program also coordinates disease investigations with recommendations for prevention and prophylactic treatments for meningococcal meningitis and tuberculosis exposures. This unit is also responsible for the organization of the County's annual influenza vaccination program that targets thousands of immunizations for individuals at risk of complications of influenza disease.

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The School Immunization Program

One of the least known, but among the most important areas of the Disease Control Division is the School Immunization Program. In 1979, this program was initiated to enforce State and County laws related to immunization of children in day care settings, preschools, schools and other group care facilities. Prior to this program, children immunization levels were at very low levels of 5% for almost all vaccines.

Today the School Immunization Program monitors over 50,000 children immunization records several times a year in more than 750 schools throughout the county. By the end of each year immunization levels for every school average over 96% for all vaccines. This vital program has significantly reduced the spread of vaccine preventable diseases as demonstrated through decreases in morbidity and mortality from those diseases.

This program is charged with the responsibility to exclude children from school who are under immunized. The program is also involved in investigation and various control activities of vaccine preventable diseases in school settings. The statewide Michigan Children Immunization Registry [MCIR] is being implemented to eventually have all immunizations in a central registry for health care providers. In addition to the program's enforcement responsibilities, the staff routinely provide information to physicians and the public about vaccine utilization.

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Venereal Disease Control Program

According to the national Centers for Disease Control there are 12 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases occurring each year in the United States. These include: 1 million genital warts, 500,000 chlamydia, 3 million trichomoniasis, 1.3 million gonorrhea and 130,000 syphilis cases each year in the U.S. There are other sexually transmitted diseases such as Hepatitis B and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome [AIDS] not even included in these statistics.

The Venereal Disease Control Program is charged with the surveillance and control of sexually transmitted diseases. This federally funded program has been established for the reporting, investigation and/or follow up of diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in order to ensure treatment of cases as well as appropriate contacts to prevent spread. This unit coordinates many of the disease investigations, treatments and referrals of clients to the Wayne County Department of Public Health Social Hygiene Clinic. The unit also provides information about venereal diseases to physicians and the community.

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Tuberculosis Disease Control Program

One of the early national public health programs initiated throughout the United States dealt with control activities for tuberculosis [TB] disease. Through efforts of these programs tuberculosis had been dramatically reduced in the U.S. Today, however, TB has been increasing in certain populations throughout the U.S. associated with increased incidence of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome [AIDS]. Recently, there has been an increase in multi drug resistant strains of TB seen in some sections of the country.

The Tuberculosis Disease Control Unit is responsible for the surveillance and control of tuberculosis in the county. Cases and appropriate contacts are followed and investigated to prevent the spread of disease. Cases, converters and other appropriate contacts are referred to tuberculosis clinics for testing and treatment. This unit also is responsible for investigating outbreaks, providing inservices on TB and provides information to physicians and the community. The unit is also responsible for providing treatment to home bound cases as appropriate and provides for direct observed therapy [DOT] to ensure patients complete their medications.

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The Laboratory

The Disease Control Division Laboratory works in close association with the Social Hygiene Clinic, Venereal Disease Control and AIDS/HIV Prevention programs. The laboratory provides the analytical tests of clinical patient specimens for a variety of sexually transmitted diseases and prepares certain specimens for analysis through other laboratories, such as those located at the Michigan Department of Community Health.

Besides providing lab support for the Social Hygiene Clinic, specimens are analyzed for several family planning programs. The lab provides processing services for bloods obtained for syphilis and analysis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus that causes AIDS. The lab provides quality assurance for laboratory procedures performed in other department clinics. The lab is also responsible for coordinating the specimen collection and transportation of media, clinical and environmental samples to other testing facilities or agencies.

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Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome/Human

Immunodeficiency Virus Prevention Program
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome [AIDS] has become the number one public health issue facing the nation today. The World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2,000 there will be 30 million people who have been infected including 15 to 20 million adults and 10 million children worldwide. Until there is a cure or a vaccine to prevent the disease, education of the world on how to prevent AIDS and HIV infection is our main weapon to combat this epidemic.

The Acquired Immune Deficiency [AIDS] and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevention Program of the Disease Control Division provides for various Disease Control and Prevention strategies for combating AIDS. This includes a program for AIDS Counseling and Testing of individuals considered to be at risk for the disease, information and statistical data coordination and distribution of materials for a variety of AIDS related concerns. The unit provides community assistance through inservices, educational program development and policy/procedure development assistance for groups and agencies. Audiovisual and informational materials are available on a loan first come first serve basis.

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