Invasive Bacterial Diseases

Mission & Objectives

The Acute Disease Epidemiology Section strives to reduce infections caused by the following pathogens, by conducting surveillance and participating in applied public health research to identify ways to prevent disease:

• Group A Streptococcus (including Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome)

• Group B Streptococcus

• Haemophilus influenzae

• Neisseria meningitidis

• Streptococcus pneumoniae

• Selected Staphylococcal diseases:
  • VISA/VRSA
  • CA-MRSA
  • Toxic Shock Syndrome (Staphylococcal)

Surveillance

All Georgia physicians, laboratories, and other health care providers are required by law to report notifiable diseases. Cases may be reported through the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SENDSS) or they may also be directly reported to the Acute Disease Epidemiology Section at the Georgia Department of Public Health. While Group A Streptococcus, Group B Streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, CA-MRSA, and H1N1 influenza are to be reported within 7 days of disease onset, cases of Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, and VISA/VRSA are immediately reportable, to facilitate a public health response and isolate collection. Seasonal influenza is not reportable.

Our state is one of ten that participate in the CDC-sponsored Emerging Infections Program (EIP) which aims to assess the public health impact of emerging infections and be a national resource for surveillance, prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases. As a part of this program, we contribute extensive data about certain invasive bacterial diseases in the state of Georgia to the EIP’s Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) system.

Georgia tracks the listed pathogens statewide using two overlapping surveillance systems. As notifiable diseases, all listed pathogens are under passive surveillance statewide. In addition, using EIP resources, active surveillance to identify cases and obtain isolates for further testing is conducted for selected pathogens, particularly in the Atlanta metropolitan statistical area (MSA), and in some cases, statewide.