Infectious Diseases

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Communicable diseases, sometimes called infectious diseases, are illnesses caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. Infectious diseases remain the major cause of illness, disability, and death. Local health departments are responsible for investigating and controlling further spread of disease. In order to be able to identify patterns and trends of communicable disease occurrences, Marathon County tracks the type and number of reportable diseases, as well as reports received from area health care providers, laboratories, schools, and day care centers.

Communicable Disease Reporting: List of Reportable Diseases

For more information, contact one of our Public Health Nurses by calling the Marathon County Health Department at 715-261-1900.

To report a communicable disease, please call 715-261-1900. If a call is placed after hours or on a holiday, a phone number will be provided to contact the on-call manager.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis is an uncommon disease that occurs when an individual breathes in the fungal spores that are present in the environment. Typically Blastomyces spores are found in the soil in decaying foliage and vegetation and grow only under a very specific set of circumstances. When the soil is disturbed, the spores can be inhaled by humans and animals, causing disease.

Outbreak Investigations:

The State of Wisconsin is currently investigating cases of blastomycosis associated with tubing on the Little Wolf River. If you think you have any symptoms of blastomycosis, please see your healthcare provider.

Additional Resources:

Disease Reporting

Disease Reporting for Providers

You play an important role in our efforts to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

We provide guidance, education, follow up, and surveillance for state reportable diseases and conditions as outlined in Wisconsin state statute Wis. Admin Code ch DHS 145 Control of Communicable Diseases. Diseases and conditions that are reportable are considered to have significant public health impact and any confirmed or suspect cases must be reported promptly.

What Needs to be Reported

Any Health Care Provider or School is required to report state-reportable diseases and conditions. Per licensing requirements, licensed child care facilities are also required to report these same communicable diseases and conditions.

Category I diseases must be reported to us:

IMMEDIATELY by phone (715) 261-1900 AND
Within 24 hours electronically through the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS) (preferred) or by fax (715) 261-1901

If you need to report outside of our regular business hours of Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm, call (715) 261-1900 and listen to the prerecorded message. The message will provide a phone number to reach the on-call manager.

Category II diseases must be reported within 72 hours to us:

through Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS), OR
by phone (715) 261-1900, OR
by fax (715) 261-1901 using one of the disease reporting forms below:
- General reporting requirements are described in Wis. Stat. ch. 252 Communicable Diseases.
- Specific reporting requirements are described in Wis. Admin Code. ch. DHS 145 Control of Communicable Diseases.

Disease Reporting Forms

Communicable Disease Report Form
Sexually Transmitted Infection Report Form
HIV should be reported directly to the Wisconsin HIV Program

Long Term Care and Other Health Care Facilities Outbreak Information

In Wisconsin, confirmed or suspected outbreaks of any disease in health care facilities, including long term care facilities (LTCFs), are a Category I Disease, meaning they must be reported immediately. For facilities in Marathon County, this reporting requirement may be fulfilled by completing the reporting tool listed below.

Acute Respiratory Illness Outbreaks

Norovirus and Other Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreaks

Food & Waterborne Diseases

The Marathon County Health Department investigates reports of illnesses related to food and waterborne diseases. The public health nurses and sanitarians work to identify the source of the illness and contain the spread of the disease. Some commonly reported diseases are Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, Campylobacter, Norovirus, and Giardia.

Additional Resources:

Image Courtesy of the CDC

Measles

Measles is a disease that is caused by a virus. The virus can very easily spread from person to person through the air. The virus can stay in the air for up to two hours after a sick person coughs or sneezes.

People who are sick with measles may start symptoms with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Two or three days after symptoms start, a red, flat rash may appear at the sick person's hairline and spread down the rest of the body.

There have been no measles cases in Wisconsin residents since 2014.

Measles is a Wisconsin Disease Surveillance Category I disease.

Report IMMEDIATELY by TELEPHONE to the patient's local health department upon identification of a confirmed or suspected case. Report Marathon County cases by calling the Marathon County Health Department at 715-261-1900.

Common Questions About Measles

Am I protected against measles?

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) considers you protected from measles if you have written documentation (records) showing at least one of the following:

You received two doses of measles-containing vaccine, and you are a(n) —
- school-aged child (grades K-12)
- adult who will be in a setting that poses a high risk for measles transmission, including students at post-high school education institutions, healthcare personnel, and international travelers.
You received one dose of measles-containing vaccine, and you are a(n) —
- preschool-aged child
- adult who will not be in a high-risk setting for measles transmission.
A laboratory confirmed that you had measles at some point in your life.
A laboratory confirmed that you are immune to measles.
You were born before 1957.

For international travelers, CDC considers you protected from measles if you have written documentation (records) showing at least one of the following:

You received one dose of measles-containing vaccine, and you are an infant aged 6–11 months
You received two doses of measles-containing vaccine, and you are a person 12 months or older
A laboratory confirmed that you had measles at some point in your life
A laboratory confirmed that you are immune to measles
You were born before 1957

Do I ever need a booster vaccine?

No. CDC considers people who received two doses of measles vaccine as children according to the U.S. vaccination schedule protected for life, and they do not ever need a booster dose

If you’re not sure whether you are fully vaccinated, talk with your doctor.

What should I do if I'm unsure whether I'm immune to measles?

If you’re unsure whether you’re immune to measles, you should first try to find your vaccination records or documentation of measles immunity. If you do not have written documentation of measles immunity, you should get vaccinated with measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Another option is to have a doctor test your blood to determine whether you’re immune, but this option will take two doctor’s visits. There is no harm in getting another dose of MMR vaccine if you may already be immune to measles (or mumps or rubella).

I think I have measles. What should I do?

Immediately call your doctor and let them know about your symptoms so that they can tell you what to do next. Your doctor can make special arrangements to evaluate you, if needed, without putting other patients and medical office staff at risk.

Additional Resources

Measles Disease Information

What do you need to know about measles? (Available in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali)
- Hmong: Ntwav Qhia Txog Qoob Qhua Pias-Measles (PDF)
- Spanish: Hoja de Datos Sobre el Sarampión (PDF)
https://www.cdc.gov/measles/downloads/measles-infographic.pdf
Measles FAQ
Measles Disease Resources

Measles Immunization Information

Measles vaccination information - Information for parents about the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine
MMR vaccine information statement - in multiple languages - explains the risks of measles diseases and benefits of vaccination
Are you trying to find your child's immunization record? - The Wisconsin Immunization registry may be able to help.

Respiratory Illness (COVID-19, flu, and RSV)

Steps to Take When You’re Sick

Many respiratory illnesses, like COVID-19, influenza (commonly referred to as the flu), RSV, and colds, spread the same ways and have similar symptoms. The CDC simplified what we should do when we’re sick with one of these illnesses to prevent others from getting sick too.

1. Stay home if you have symptoms.

Stay home and away from others, including people you live with, if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed below that aren’t better explained by another cause, like seasonal allergies.

Fever
Cough
Runny or stuffy nose
Headache
And other common symptoms, like sneezing, sore throat, chills, wheezing, chest discomfort, fatigue (tiredness), muscle or body aches, weakness, new loss of taste or smell, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Consider antiviral treatments soon after your symptoms start. For some respiratory illnesses, there are treatments to help prevent you from becoming seriously ill or dying.

See the CDC’s page on Treatment of Respiratory Viruses for more information on types of treatment.
Talk with your doctor to see if one of these treatments are right for you.
If you have COVID, you must begin the antiviral treatment within five days of your symptoms starting for it to be effective. Talk to your doctor to see if this is right for you.

2. Know when you can leave home and resume normal activities.

You may leave your home and resume your normal activities if both the following are true:

You have been fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and
Your symptoms are getting better overall.

See the CDC’s page on Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick for examples.

3. Take steps to protect others for 5 days after resuming your normal activities.

Even once you resume your activities, you may still be able to get others sick.

To avoid getting others sick, take these steps for 5 days after you resume your normal activities:

Wear a well-fitting mask when around others.
Physically distance yourself from people as much as possible.
Consider testing for respiratory viruses. A positive COVID-19 test may mean it’s more likely you could spread the virus to others.
Avoid being around people who have an increased risk of developing severe illness, like family members with cancer or people in a nursing home.

If you have a weakened immune system

If you have a weakened immune system, you may be able to spread the virus to others for a longer period of time. Take this into consideration when choosing which precautions to use and how long to use them after returning to normal activities. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about your individual situation.

I tested positive for COVID but don’t have symptoms.

You might take a test if you have a sick person in your home or if you’re seeing a person who is more likely to get severely sick. You might be surprised to get a positive result if you feel well.

Follow the steps above for at least 5 days after testing positive. Even though you feel well, you may still be able to get others sick.
If you develop symptoms after testing positive, stay home until you meet the criteria above to leave your home.

If you’re a healthcare worker, there are different recommendations for you.

Health care workers are subject to different recommendations due to widespread exposure to respiratory illnesses in your work.

Tuberculosis (TB)

3d rendering of the blood vessels of human lungs Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection caused by bacteria that can infect the lungs, bones, skin, and other body parts.

We test those at risk for TB and treat people with latent and active TB disease to reduce rates of the infection since the bacteria can be spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, or speaking.

Are you at risk?

Not everyone needs to be tested for tuberculosis. Check to see if you have risk factors . In Wisconsin, the two most common risk factors for TB disease are:

Being born in a country where TB disease is more common.
Having contact with someone with active TB disease.

TB Disease Symptoms & Treatment

TB disease means your immune system can't fight the TB bacteria you have been infected with. TB can occur anywhere in the body, but for most people, it will infect the lungs. People with TB disease in the lungs can spread the infection to others.

People with TB disease in the lungs may have:

A bad cough lasting 3 weeks or longer
Pain in the chest
Cough up blood or sputum
Weakness or fatigue
Weight loss
No appetite
Chills
Fever
Sweating at night

We work with clinics and hospitals to make sure active cases of tuberculosis are quickly identified. We help patients with active TB, from diagnosis through cure. We also make sure that anyone who has had contact with someone who has active TB is tested and, if necessary, treated.

Latent TB Infection & Treatment

Latent TB means you have been infected with TB bacteria, but your immune system has been able to fight the bacteria to keep you from getting active TB disease. People with Latent TB infection:

Have no symptoms
Don't feel sick
Can't spread TB to others
Usually have a positive skin test result
CAN develop TB disease later in life if they don't get treated

We work with local providers to make sure that people who have Latent TB infection get treated.

Where Can I Get Tested?

Marathon County Health Department does not provide Tuberculosis (TB) screening for work, school, or volunteering. However, if you have other risk factors for TB, such as being foreign born, you may qualify for TB screening through Marathon County Health Department. The department screens for TB with a TB skin or blood test. To get a TB test, call Marathon County Health Department at: 715-261-1900.

Request & Authorization for Release of Tuberculosis Records from Marathon County Health Department

If you need a TB test for work, school, or volunteering, Marathon County Health Department is aware of the following health care organizations that also provide TB skin tests or blood tests, in addition to your primary care provider:

Aspirus Occupational Health: 715-847-2812
Marshfield Clinic Occupational Health: 877-962-2633

Call for hours and costs.

Resources

Other Infectious Diseases

Enterovirus D68

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is one of more than 100 non-polio enteroviruses. This virus was first identified in California in 1962. EV-D68 can cause mild to severe respiratory illness. Mild symptoms may include fever, runny nose, sneezing, cough, and body and muscle aches. Severe symptoms may include wheezing and difficulty breathing.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

Pertussis is a very contagious respiratory disease that can infect any person, but is worse in infants and small children. Pertussis can be prevented by getting a Pertussis vaccine. Contact the health department or your medical provider for the vaccine. For more information, please see the Department of Public Health fact sheet on Pertussis.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is a viral disease that affects the liver. For information on the types of Hepatitis, modes of transmission, and treatment, please see the Department of Public Health fact sheets below.

Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease)

Ebola, previously known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains. Ebola can cause disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).

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