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Bureau of Epidemiology
Provides epidemiological services including technical
assistance and expert consultation to county health departments and
others to investigate outbreaks of infectious and other diseases that
have epidemic potential. Develops statewide policies for disease
prevention and intervention strategies for disease containment or
control. Conducts special studies to assess health risk associated with
newly emerging infectious agents and other public health hazards.
Provides surveillance and infectious disease education and training on
surveillance activities, investigation of outbreaks and general
epidemiologic principles and practices. Provides technical assistance
regarding disease reporting, data management, investigation and disease
intervention and control. Provides chronic disease epidemiological
services including cancer case reporting, manages the state cancer
registry, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance system and the
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Other responsibilities
include the analysis of information collected during epidemiologic
investigation of chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease,
stroke, diabetes, hypertension and similar conditions.
The Bureau of Epidemiology is charged with the responsibility to
provide current information and technical support to public and private
health care providers regarding the control of communicable diseases in
accordance with Florida Statutes, Chapter 381, and Florida
Administrative Code, Chapter 10D-3. Activities include statewide
investigation, intervention, monitoring and coordinated reporting of
communicable diseases; epidemiological education and consultation to
infectious disease control staff including county health departments,
laboratories, local hospitals, managed care organizations and private
physicians. Weekly reporting and coordination of services with the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also required
including data and information used to prepare the Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published by the U.S. Public Health
Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. County health
department staff forward reports of communicable diseases to state
program staff and investigate cases to determine source of the agent,
the mode of transmission, the time of transmission and whether other
people have been exposed. Outbreaks are investigated to determine
source. Control measures are taken around individual cases and
outbreaks. Surveillance of reportable diseases by county health
department staff permit the Department to take prompt preventive
measures around individual cases of preventable diseases. For example:
- Provide emergency antibiotic treatment to children and staff in
day care centers exposed to a case of bacterial meningitis;
- Take prompt preventive measures when a cluster of preventable
diseases occur-for example, to deal with a hot tub or ventilation
system in a building that is leading to cases of Legionnaire's
disease;
- Take prompt preventive measures when a foodborne outbreak is
identified by closing a restaurant temporarily or excluding specific
food-handlers from working;
- Identify high-risk groups for certain infections and concentrate
preventive measures-for example, by identifying neighborhoods in
which measles immunization levels are low in preschool children and
set up special immunization clinics;
- Identify high-risk groups for certain infections in which
screening programs are needed-for example, groups of children who
might need tuberculosis screening and preventive treatment.
The Bureau operates Florida's state cancer registry through a
contract with the University of Miami and under NPCR have supplemental
CDC funding. Cancer incidence and mortality data are available at the Florida
Cancer Data System. Annual summaries of cancer incidences and
mortality are published. Analysis of cancer data support planning,
evaluation of cancer prevention and control programs. State Cancer
Registry data are also used to evaluate possible cancer clusters.
The Behavioral Risk Factor surveillance System is a rolling telephone
survey of Florida adults that provides needed information on the
prevalence of smoking, obesity, seat belt use, mammography usage, and
similar measures of risk of serious illness. The Pregnancy Risk
Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a continuing random survey of
mothers of Florida newborns, designed to provide information about risk
factors for pregnancy adverse outcomes and ill health in newborns.
Finally, the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey is a school-based survey of
tobacco beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.
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