Disease Surveillance – Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department

Tracking and controlling reportable diseases across Cedar, Dixon, Thurston, and Wayne counties.

Public health’s “disease detectives” — the NNPHD Disease Investigation and Surveillance (DIS) team investigates reportable diseases and conditions across Cedar, Dixon, Thurston, and Wayne counties.

What is Disease Surveillance?

Disease surveillance is the ongoing collection, review, and use of health information to identify disease trends and protect the community. In plain language, we track illnesses in our communities, investigate what may be causing them, and take steps to prevent them from spreading.

The NNPHD DIS Team

The NNPHD Disease Investigation and Surveillance team investigates diseases and conditions that are reportable in Nebraska. We work with healthcare providers, laboratories, schools, long-term care facilities, and community members to identify possible exposures, prevent further spread, and protect the public’s health.

What We Investigate

Communicable Diseases

Tuberculosis, hepatitis C, novel influenza, and others

Foodborne Illness

Outbreaks of salmonella, E. coli, norovirus, and other foodborne illnesses.

Vector-Borne Diseases

West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and other illnesses spread by mosquitoes and ticks.

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Measles, pertussis, tetanus, and other illnesses that can be prevented through vaccination.

Zoonotic Diseases

Diseases that can spread between animals and people, including rabies, certain Salmonella infections, and others.

Outbreaks

Any unusual cluster of illness in schools, long-term care facilities, workplaces, or communities.

What We Do During an Investigation

Receive and review the report – Healthcare providers and laboratories report certain diseases and conditions to public health.
Contact the individual – We gather information about symptoms, test results, and possible exposures while protecting privacy.
Identify possible exposures – When appropriate, we determine whether other people may have been exposed.
Provide guidance – We confidentially share recommendations for testing, treatment, monitoring, or prevention.
Help control the spread – Depending on the illness, this may include vaccination, environmental cleaning, food safety measures, or temporary exclusion from work, school, or child-care.
Monitor disease trends – We track cases and share required information with state and federal public health partners.

Reporting a Disease

Nebraska regulations require healthcare providers, hospitals, laboratories, and certain other entities to report specified diseases and conditions to public health.

Members of the public: Your healthcare provider or laboratory generally submits required disease reports to public health. Contact NNPHD if you have questions about a possible exposure, an illness cluster, or public health concern.

Your Privacy

Disease investigations are confidential. Personal health information is protected by state and federal law and is only used or shared as permitted or required for public health purposes. When contacts are notified of a possible exposure, the identity of the person who may have exposed them is generally not disclosed.