Disease Control and Investigation

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Douglas County Public Health works every day to keep Douglas County a healthy place to live, work and play.

We do that by:

  • Tracking disease trends
  • Investigating disease outbreaks
  • Preventing the spread of communicable diseases
  • Providing education about diseases that we investigate.
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Learn More:

Flu season reporting runs from September 1 through May 31.  During this time, LDCPH posts information weekly about respiratory viruses.  If there are higher than usual levels of flu at other times, LDCPH will post additional information to inform the public. Otherwise, information about flu occurrence in Lawrence can be found in the wastewater dashboard below.

Bat Season

Bats are native to Kansas and are a protected species.  However, they can carry rabies.  For this reason, know what you should do if you encounter a bat in your home or are exposed to a bat. Click HERE to learn more about bats in Kansas.

Rabies Exposure Assessment

Exposed to rabies? This helpful tool from KDHE can help you self-assess.

Lead Poisoning Prevention

Lead is a naturally occurring metal that can cause negative health effects especially in children. There are things that parents and healthcare professionals can do to protect children from lead exposure. Click HERE to learn more about lead poisoning.

Wastewater Detection of Disease

The Wastewater Testing Dashboard shows detection of viruses, like flu, RSV, COVID-19, or Norovirus in the wastewater from Lawrence. This dashboard can suggest when there are increasing levels of infection from these diseases. To view the wastewater dashboard for Lawrence click HERE.

How to Report Disease:

Local medical providers are required to report cases of certain diseases. To see a full list of reportable diseases and how to report them, click HERE.

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