Acute Communicable Disease Control, Bureau of

In 1948, the Division of Communicable Diseases became the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control in the newly organized Division of Medical Services. The change in status reflected the enormous drop in morbidity and mortality rates for communicable diseases as sulfanomides and then antibiotics came into common use. The Bureau continued the case surveillance and technical assistance activities of the former Division. It monitored statewide case reporting of diseases listed in Chapter II of the State Sanitary Code; compiled and reported statistics; conducted epidemiological investigations; and offered technical assistance to district and local health professionals responsible for limiting disease outbreaks. The Bureau also developed policy on issues such as manufacture, purchase, and distribution of vaccines; allocated federal funds for disease control; developed research projects; and drafted legislation and state health code amendments. As disease control increasingly focused on maintaining barriers such as immunization and rapid diagnosis and treatment, the Bureau added epidemiology of chronic diseases to its responsibilities. The Bureau's name was changed to Epidemiology and Communicable Disease Control in 1949 to reflect this broader function. The Bureau also added studies of preparedness for biological warfare to its responsibilities. In 1960, another departmental reorganization made the Bureau into the Office of Epidemiology and moved it into the Public Health Development and Evaluation Group. Reorganziation in 1967 redesignated the unit as the Bureau of Epidemiology and Communicable Disease Control, and moved it to the Division of Preventive Services. In 1970, the unit's title was shortened to the Bureau of Epidemiology. It remained in the same Division, called Community Health Services. In 1972, The Bureau was named the Bureau of Acute Communicable Disease Control, in the Division of Epidemiology and Preventive Health Services. In 1975, it again became the Bureau of Disease Control. In 1982, it resumed its original name, the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control, as part of the Division of Community Health and Epidemiology. A separate Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention was created. In 1986, the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control became part of the Division of Public Health Protection.