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Investigations and Cases

The Immunization Division monitors the incidence and prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). This table summarizes investigations and cases reported over the last 12 months, and CDC-recommended tests and specimens. Underlined diseases link to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) case definitions to determine case classification (i.e., confirmed, probable, suspect, or not a case).

Specimens may be dropped off at your local county health department to be couriered to BCL overnight or can be shipped directly to BCL at 204 Legends Ct., Prattville, AL 36066 (at your expense).

To submit a VPD specimen a Requisition Form for BCL Laboratory Testing must be completed, and you may need to complete the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene Lab Form or CDC Specimen Submission Form (2 MB).

VPD Notifiable Diseases	ADPH Investigations	ADPH Cases	CDC Recommended Test Methods*	CDC Recommended Specimen Type*
Diphtheria	0	0	Culture and identification¹	Throat or nasopharynx swab or cutaneous lesion
Haemophilus influenzae	164	131	Culture and identification¹	Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below
Hepatitis A, Acute	160	16	SerologyIgM	Blood or Serum
Hepatitis B, Acute	520	110	Serology¹	Blood
Hepatitis B, Perinatal	34	0	Serology¹	Blood
Measles (Rubeola)	29	0	Culture, Serology IgM, or PCR	Blood or serum, Urine, Nasopharyngeal, or Throat Swab
Meningococcal Disease	24	15	Culture²	Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below
Mumps	0	0	Culture, Serology IgM, or PCR	Blood, Buccal Swab, Nasopharyngeal, or Throat Swab
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)	485	263	Culture¹, or PCR¹	Nasopharyngeal aspirate or wash, or throat swab
Polio (Poliomyelitis, paralytic & Poliovirus Infection, non-paralytic)	1	0	Clinical diagnosis (Poliomyelitis), Culture (Poliovirus infection)	Stool, CSF, or oropharyngeal secretions
Rubella (German Measles, Three-Day Measles)	9	2	Culture, Serology IgM or PCR	Blood or serum
Smallpox	0	0	CDC Only	Vesicular or pustular fluid
Streptococcus pneumoniae	518	473	Culture²	Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below
Tetanus	0	0	Clinical diagnosis	N/A
Varicella (Chickenpox)	354	41	Culture, DFA, Serology or PCR¹	Lesion
Total 01/01/2024-12/09/2024	2,298	1,051

Key

∗ To confirm cases based on CDC case definitions

¹ Test offered by the Bureau of Clinical Laboratories (BCL)

² Pure culture confirmation only by BCL

³ Normally sterile body site (e.g., Blood, Bone, CSF, internal body site (specimen obtained from surgery or aspirate from one of the following: lymph node, brain, heart, liver, spleen, vitreous fluid, kidney, pancreas, ovary or vascular tissue), pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, synovial/joint fluid.)

Culture- Isolation

CSF- Cerebrospinal fluid

DFA- Direct fluorescence assay

PCR- Polymerase chain reaction