DEPARTMENT: Public Health
FILE TYPE: Regular Information
TITLE
title
Update On Disease Prevention And Control
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Receive overview and data trend updates on Public Health communicable disease prevention and control efforts in 2024.
SUMMARY
Pursuant to Minn. Stat. ? 375A.04, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners is, and performs the duties and exercises the powers of, a community health board under Minn. Stat. ch. 145A, including the responsibility to prevent disease and to promote and protect the public health of Dakota County residents.
Preventing and controlling infectious diseases is one of the oldest and most fundamental public health responsibilities. In Minnesota, the Department of Health (MDH) Act (Chapter 144) and the Local Public Health Act (Chapter 145A) confer authority to carry out infectious disease activities to the state health department and to community health boards, respectively. Communicable disease control is one of the foundational responsibilities of public health as cited by the Public Health Accreditation Board and adopted by MDH. To this end, the Disease Prevention and Control (DPC) team case manages individuals and responds to individual and community exposures to tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis B and other infectious diseases. The team also conducts immunization clinics to provide access to vaccines that prevent preventable diseases from occurring in the community and supports new Minnesotans with refugee status to receive important healthcare assessments and follow-up.
OUTCOMES
How much?
* The DPC team managed 74 TB workups in 2024, a 72 percent and 90 percent increase from 2022 and 2023, respectively.
* The DPC team case managed 21 cases of active TB in 2024, an increase from an average of 9.3 cases per year over the previous 10 years.
* The public health team conducted 10 mobile immunization clinics in community in 2024, serving 317 individuals and administering 1295 vaccinations.
* Through onsite, m...
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