Welcome to the Hays County Local Health Department’s Office of Epidemiology
Instructions for reporting disease in Hays County can be found here.
| Ian Harris, CIC Epidemiologist Phone: 512.393.5524 Fax: 512.393.5530 ian.harris@co.hays.tx.us |
Juli Barksdale, MPH Epidemiologist |
Epidemiology is the study of the incidence, distribution and determinants of disease in a population. A key tenant of epidemiology is that disease does not occur at random; there are many factors that increase or decrease the likelihood of an individual contracting a disease.
The job of epidemiologists is to identify disease, search for the cause, identify who is at risk, and find ways to control or stop the spread of the disease. We are continuously surveying and monitoring a variety of diseases in Hays County.
There are many common illnesses that are constantly circulating through the population. Many other illnesses are seen on a much lesser basis. In Texas, there are 88 illnesses – called notifiable conditions – that providers (e.g., physicians, hospitals, labs, schools, etc.) are required to report to the health department. The list of notifiable conditions, along with the required timelines for reporting, can be found on the Texas Department of State Health Services website. In addition to these conditions, any outbreaks, exotic diseases, or unusual group expressions of disease should be reported in a timely manner. When reporting, please include patient name, age, sex, race/ethnicity, DOB, address, telephone number, disease, date of onset, method of diagnosis, and name, address, and telephone number of the person reporting.
Select one of the following topics to learn more about the diseases we see most often in Hays County:
| Vaccine Preventable Diseases | Foodborne Illnesses |
| Respiratory Illnesses | Waterborne Illnesses |
| Sexually Transmitted Diseases | Zoonotic Diseases |