Our office receives complaints from citizens and reports from doctors concerning any possible food borne or waterborne diseases. These reports are compiled to determine if an outbreak has occurred. Although a single isolated complaint about illness may not prove an outbreak has occurred, it is important that the information be collected. When combined with other isolated reports, we are often able to determine that an outbreak has occurred. In 1995 there were 296 reported outbreaks in the State of Florida. This included one of the largest salmonella outbreaks ever reported in Florida with 979 people involved. When necessary, a specialist from the Environmental Health Section of the local health department will conduct an onsite investigation of any facility where a suspected food borne or waterborne outbreak may have occurred. Samples may be gathered, the operation reviewed, and people questioned in order to determine the source of the disease and corrective action necessary to prevent further outbreaks from occurring.

Bill Toth is the epidemiologist for the Orange County Health Department Disease Control Division. Dean Bodager is our local consultant with the State Department of Health, and Sharon Heber and Roberta Hammond are our advisors in the Department of Health in Tallahassee. We also work closely with the Department of Health laboratory in Jacksonville. These offices all work very closely with the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta.

For more about epidemiological events in Florida visit the Dept of Health Epi web site.

For national epidemiological news, check the CDC's Morbidity & Mortality Report.