August 29, 2005
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Dear San Francisco Clinician, Monitoring and controlling infectious disease outbreaks is a priority for the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). Routine infectious disease emergencies vary in scope from a single case of meningococcal meningitis, to a case of hepatitis A in a food handler, to an outbreak of influenza in a nursing home. In San Francisco, prompt clinician reports of relevant clinical cases enable us to investigate and begin disease control activities as soon as possible. To improve control of relatively common outbreaks and to improve recognition and response to emerging infectious diseases or diseases possibly related to bioterrorism, the Sentinel Event Enhanced Passive Surveillance (SEEPS) Project developed the enclosed reference: Infectious Disease Emergencies: A Preparedness and Response Guide for San Francisco Clinicians . This reference is provided in both hard copy binder format and electronically via a CD. Updates will be available on our New Communicable Disease Control and Prevention website (www.sfdph.org/cdcp). Throughout the US, clinicians have been the first to confront and alert public health officials to emerging infections, bioterrorism attacks and widespread outbreaks. Please familiarize yourself with the contents of this guide to learn:
Currently, SFDPH alerts and updates clinicians on important public health infectious disease threats via fax using our Health Alert Notification Database (HAND) and by posting materials on our website. We anticipate expanding our communication methods to include email in the future.
Working together, clinicians and SFDPH can better protect the health of all San Franciscans. Thank you for your efforts. Sincerely,
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