Information for Health Care Providers

• Antibiotic Resistant Organisms in Health Care Settings:  Prevention & control guidelines (ARO) (PDF, 186 KB)

• Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance in Wisconsin  

  • 2007 WI surveillance report (PDF, 67 KB) 

  • 2006 WI surveillance report (PDF, 68 KB)

• Communicable disease chart for schools & child care centers (PDF, 133 KB) (brief description)

• Communicable disease report forms (WI) (brief description)

• Community Associated - Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA MRSA)   

  • CA MRSA Guidelines (PDF, 205 KB) 

  • CA MRSA Patient pamphlet (PDF, 158 KB) 

  • CA MRSA - Guidelines for Controlling Transmission among Students and Athletes (PDF, 99 KB) 

• Cover Your Cough  Patient Ed  (brief description) 

• Day care exclusion criteria (PDF,  22 KB) (brief description)

• EpiNet manual (exit DHS) (brief description)

• Fee exempt testing information (PDF, 259 KB)

• Food & waterborne outbreak manual (PDF,  2 MB) (brief description)

• Gastrointestinal infections  School Guidelines  (PDF,  17 KB) (brief description)

• Giardia Guidelines (PDF, 139 KB) (brief description)

• Hand hygiene in health care settings (exit DHS) (brief description)

• Head Lice Infestations in schools  

• Hepatitis A guidelines For LHDs  (PDF, 7 MB) (brief description)

• Hepatitis C guidelines For LHDs  (PDF, 7 MB) (brief description)

• Influenza-associated pediatric deaths Case report form (PDF, 159 KB)

• Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Management protocol  (PDF, 166 KB) 

  • Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Case investigation flowchart  (PDF, 129 KB)

• Invasive meningococcal disease Management protocol (PDF, 176 KB)

  • Invasive Meningococcal disease Case investigation flowchart  (PDF, 58 KB) 

  • Invasive Meningococcal disease information & prophylaxis guidelines

    Template letter for providers (PDF, 223 KB)

• Lyme disease Clinician's guide (PDF, 397 KB) (brief description)

• Norovirus testing criteria  (PDF, 21 KB) (brief description)

• Prion dementia  Clinician's fact sheet  (PDF, 15 KB) (brief description)

• Rabies prevention flowchart (exit DHS) (brief description)

• Safe injection practices 

  • DHS introduction letter (PDF, 76 KB)

  • Safe injection practices (PDF, 40 KB)

  • Injection safety list (PDF, 49 KB)

  • Poster (PDF, 62 KB)

  • Survey  (PDF, 21 KB)

  • FAQs (PDF, 22 KB)

  • HCV reporting (PDF, 32 KB)

• Standard precautions In hospitals  (exit DHS) (brief description)

• Universal precautions (exit DHS) (brief description)

• Wisconsin Epi Express (WEE)  (brief description)

• Additional Resources

Communicable disease chart (PDF,  185 KB)
This chart of selected communicable diseases is a guide for persons who have responsibility for groups of children in day care centers, schools, summer camps or other similar situations. The chart includes communicable diseases that are reportable under Wisconsin law (Wisconsin Statute 252.05 and 252.21, Communicable Diseases, and Wisconsin Administrative Rule 145.04(d) and 145.06, Control of Communicable Diseases).
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Day care exclusion criteria (PDF,  22 KB)
Guidelines for the exclusion of children and staff from a daycare center due to bloodborne, enteric, or respiratory diseases.
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EpiNet manual (exit DHS)
(The State of Wisconsin Disease Surveillance Manual)
This manual provides a comprehensive resource document to assist local health departments and other health care providers in clarifying their responsibilities for disease reporting, epidemiologic surveillance and outbreak investigations.
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Food & Waterborne Outbreak Investigation Manual (PDF,  2 MB)
This manual provides public health staff and clinicians guidance on the investigation and management of food and waterborne disease outbreaks. 
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Giardia Guidelines (PDF,  139 KB)
This document provides guidelines for local health department staff on the prevention and control of giardiasis. 
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Hand hygiene in health-care settings (exit DHS)
This guideline is intended for health care workers and focuses on the importance of proper hand hygiene in health-care settings in order to reduce the transmission of infectious disease to patients and personnel in health-care settings.
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Hepatitis A - Local health department (PDF,  7 MB)
This manual provides local health departments (LHDs) specific direction on following-up, preventing and identifying cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection. 
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Hepatitis C - Local health department (PDF,  7 MB)
This manual provides local health departments (LHDs) specific direction on following-up, preventing and identifying cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Hard copies of this document are being sent to all LHDs. 
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Lice: Public health guide - Prevention, control & treatment of head lice infestations in schools (PDF,  71 KB)
This manual is a guide for public health professionals and school staff regarding the management and control of head lice in the home and school setting. 
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Lyme disease - Clinician's guide (PDF, 397 KB) 
This manual, published in 1999, is a resource for health care providers regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme Disease. 
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Norovirus testing criteria (PDF,  21 KB)
The Bureau of Communicable Diseases, Wisconsin Division of Public Health, collaborated with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene in developing these criteria for approving the testing of stool specimens for noroviruses. 
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Patient education materials - "Cover Your Cough" (exit DHS)
These educational materials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focus on the steps individuals can take to prevent the spread of serious respiratory illnesses when coughing or sneezing. 
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Prion dementia Clinician's Fact Sheet (PDF, 15 KB)
A workgroup of primarily Wisconsin neurologists and neuropathologists developed clinical criteria for reporting possible cases of human Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE). This document includes guidelines for the management and diagnosis of suspected prion-related dementia and contact information regarding a referral network of Wisconsin clinicians with expertise in prion diseases. 
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Rabies - Wisconsin rabies prevention flowchart (exit DHS) 
This flowchart provides guidance for local health department staff in managing the potential human exposures to rabies. 
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Gastrointestinal Infections School Guidelines (PDF, 17 KB)
This three-page guide includes a checklist for schools to use when outbreaks of gastroenteritis occur. 
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Standard precautions - Isolation precautions in hospitals (exit DHS)
These guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include two tiers of precautions. The first tier addresses "Standard Precautions" which are the precautions designed for the care of all patients in hospitals regardless of their diagnosis or presumed infection status. The second tier, "Transmission-Based Precautions," are used for patients known or suspected to be infected or colonized with epidemiologically important pathogens that can be transmitted by airborne or droplet transmission or by contact with dry skin or contaminated surfaces. 
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Universal precautions (exit DHS)
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Blood borne Pathogens Standard 29 CFR 1910.1030 is a regulation that prescribes safeguards to protect workers against health hazards related to blood borne pathogens. It has provisions dealing with exposure control plans, engineering and work practice controls, hepatitis B vaccination, hazard communication and training, and record keeping. The standard imposes requirements on employers of workers who may be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials such as certain tissues and bodily fluids. 
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Wisconsin Epi Express (WEE)
The Wisconsin Epi Express is a regular update on communicable disease issues prepared by the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Bureau of Communicable Diseases. The target audience are members of the public health surveillance system. It is distributed electronically and contains short status reports on outbreaks and updates on progress in controlling communicable diseases. 
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Wisconsin Communicable disease report forms
To discuss communicable disease reporting requirements, contact the Communicable Disease Epidemiology Section at 608-267-9003. For HIV and AIDS case report forms and reporting requirements, contact the Wisconsin AIDS/HIV Program at 608-266-9853. For sexually transmitted disease case report forms and reporting requirements, contact the Wisconsin Sexually Transmitted Disease Program at 608-266-7365.
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Additional resources

Wisconsin Department of Health Services

• AIDS/HIV Program
• Hepatitis C Program
• Immunization Program
• Sexually Transmitted Disease Program
• Tuberculosis Program

Partner Agencies

• Local Health Departments (WI)
• City of Milwaukee Health Department (exit DHS)
• Wisconsin Health Alert Network (exit DHS)
• Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (exit DHS)

Federal Agencies

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (exit DHS)

• CDC: Infection Control (exit DHS)

• CDC: International Travel - Yellow Book (exit DHS)

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Last Revised: January 30, 2012