WHAT DO DISEASE INTERVENTION PROFESSIONALS DO?
Disease intervention professionals are essential members of the national public health workforce and reduce community spread of infectious diseases through contact tracing, partner services, health education, and facilitating access to health care.
A disease intervention professional is defined as any public health professional who conducts disease intervention activities including, but not limited to:
- Person-centered interviews
- Collection of enhanced surveillance and community assessment data
- Contact tracing
- Field specimen collection
- Field investigation in outbreaks
- Emergency preparedness
- Community outreach
- Collaboration with medical providers
HOW DO DISEASES SPREAD?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), infectious diseases are “illnesses caused by germs that enter the body, multiply, and cause infection. Infectious diseases can spread:
Between People
Between people and animals
Through vectors (like biting insects)
Through food, water, and the environment
Common infectious diseases include influenza, COVID-19, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
