DHS to Announce Online Tool to Report Foodborne and Waterborne Illness
This message is being sent to local public health officers, Tribal health directors, and key DPH staff.
On February 1, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) plans to announce a new online tool for Wisconsinites who think they recently became sick from a food or water source. DHS is sharing this information with local public health officers and Tribal health directors in advance of the public announcement for informational and planning purposes only.
The primary goals for the web-based tool are to enhance outbreak detection and to provide consistent, actionable enteric illness complaint data to local and Tribal Health Departments (LTHDs). User-entered data will automatically be transmitted to Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS) where local and state health partners can review, prioritize, and plan any potential follow up. Information elicited by the online form will include the name and contact information of the submitter, symptoms of illness, date and time of onset, suspected source of illness, and a three-day food and exposure history. LTHDs can preview the complaint tool prior to public launch.
Key points:
- The goal of the online questionnaire is to enhance outbreak detection, not to replace established foodborne and waterborne illness, outbreak reporting, and intake processes.
- Local health departments will be able to access illness reports from residents of their jurisdiction in WEDSS. If the illness report is about a facility in another jurisdiction, the LTHD can add that jurisdiction as a secondary jurisdiction on the WEDSS record.
- Completed reports will generate a new Contact Investigation (CI) in WEDSS and will be viewable as “Foodborne or Waterborne Illness Complaint” disease category under Jurisdiction Review.
- LTHD WEDSS administrators can grant access to additional staff at their agency to view these reports (for example, Environmental Health staff).
- WEDSS users with access to enteric disease records will automatically gain access to illness complaint records.
- Recommended follow up may include gathering additional information from submitter(s), initiating, and conducting an outbreak investigation, or simply continuing to monitor incoming reports.
- DHS Enterics and Waterborne Diseases Unit and selected Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) staff will also review these records and may notify LTHDs of suspected multi-jurisdictional outbreaks associated with facilities or events in their jurisdiction.
- Users who wish to report non-illness concerns about food or water venues will be directed to the existing online DATCP system.
- Users who want guidance on exporting complaint datasets from WEDSS are encouraged to contact DHS Enterics epidemiologists at the email address below.
- New WEDSS users can access trainings through the WEDSS SharePoint site.
Next steps:
Upon public release, DHS will be issuing a press release, and posting several social media graphics and videos about the new online tool. Please consider sharing these communication pieces on your own social media channels. A fact sheet for the public is available that describes the tool. Please note that the QR code will not work until the launch on February, 1. You can print the fact sheet to distribute to community members at local events such as farmers markets, health fairs, or music in the park!
Additionally, a job aid for LTHD staff is provided on the Enterics page on the PCA Portal that explains how to access and use the new reporting tool. Please share this message with health workers who may need help accessing the tool in advance of the February 1 public launch.
Please contact the DHS Enterics epidemiologists at DHSDPHEnterics@dhs.wisconsin.gov with any questions about the new tool or if you need access to the Enterics page on the PCA Portal. Thank you for your continued support in working to make Wisconsin a safe and healthy place to live.
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