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Communicable Disease Unit

732-341-9700, ext. 7515

Communicable Disease Services

If you or a member of your family have been contacted by a Communicable Disease team member, it may be for several reasons, such as a recent illness.

Daniel E. Regenye, Public Health Coordinator/Health Officer | dregenye@ochd.org

Jennifer Crawford, Supervising Field Rep. Disease Control | jcrawford@ochd.org

Richa Sharma, Public Health Epidemiologist | rsharma@ochd.org

Terence Tesoroni, Senior Field Rep. Disease Control | ttesoroni@ochd.org

01 Communicable
Here are somethings that you should know:
  • Public health reporting is mandated by law and is not affected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HIPAA specifically permits/provides for public health reporting without a patient’s authorization or consent. All of the information obtained/discussed during investigations is considered protected health information (PHI) and is used solely for this purpose.
  • Depending on the illness being investigated the team member will ask several questions about risk factors, opportunities for infection/transmission, travel and/or food history, and vaccination status (if appropriate), as well as provide education and try to answer any questions you may have.
  • Our goal is to control disease transmission and prevent outbreaks. This includes ensuring that our residents are fully aware of prevention measures and infection control practices that can help keep their loved ones and others from being impacted.
The Communicable Disease Unit (CDU) is responsible for investigating reportable diseases/conditions in humans and domestic companion animals as outlined in New Jersey Administrative Code 8:57. The primary functions of the unit include:
  • Conducting patient interviews to gather potential source/exposure information and to provide disease specific education on prevention measures.
  • Speaking with medical providers to obtain relevant clinical information and discuss public health recommendations for treatments when indicated.
  • Coordination of lab specimen submission to public health laboratories
  • Consulting with facility administrators to address potential communicable disease exposures in their populations.
  • Monitoring reportable disease trends at the global, national, and local levels.
  • Investigating wildlife exposures for rabies concerns, including the submission of rabies specimens to the NJ Public Health Environmental and Agricultural Laboratories (NJPHEL)
  • Coordinating municipal rabies vaccination clinics for dogs and cats.
  • Conducting required annual immunization audits for daycare and school aged children.

Communicable Disease Service Resources