Communicable (Infectious) Diseases

Communicable or infectious diseases are illnesses that you may get if you have contact with people, animals, insects, surfaces, foods, water, or air that contain infectious materials. Infectious diseases are the leading cause of sickness and death worldwide and the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Clallam County Public Health Section works to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in our county by:

• Providing individuals and organizations with basic disease information, treatment guidelines, and recommendations to prevent the spread of the disease.
• Provide and promote immunizations that protect against vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Partner and plan with local health care providers, the Washington State Department of Health, and the Department of Emergency Management to ensure a prompt response to any infectious disease outbreak in Clallam County.
• We investigate outbreaks of communicable disease; contact people who may have been exposed; organize appropriate treatment; and give timely information about the threat to the community, so you can protect yourself and your family.
• We complete confidential case reports of more than 60 reportable diseases if they occur in our county
• We provide communicable disease data that assists state and federal agencies in the monitoring of disease trends, identification of outbreaks, development of prevention strategies, and allocation of resources.

Diseases that community members ask us about most often include E.coli, Tuberculosis, Influenza, Pertussis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Influenza, MRSA, Hepatitis, Rabies, HIV, Shingles, Chickenpox, Herpes, and foodborne illness. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides current and reliable information for these and many other communicable diseases and conditions: Diseases and Conditions A-Z.

Communicable disease testing can be had at private healthcare provider offices and at Clallam County Public Health Section on a very limited, case by case basis at 360-417-2274