Case Counts

Case Counts
Test Methods and Specimen Types

Case Counts

The Immunization Division monitors the incidence and prevalence of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). This table summarizes cases reported over the last five years, as well as the cases reported year-to-date this year and last year.

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).

Outbreak Totals

Learn more about recent outbreaks.

Links for Specimen Collection

Test Methods and Specimen Types

VPD Notifiable Diseases	CDC Recommended Test Methods*	CDC Recommended Specimen Type*
Diphtheria	Culture and identification¹	Throat or nasopharynx swab or cutaneous lesion
Haemophilus influenzae	Culture and identification¹	Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below
Hepatitis A, Acute	SerologyIgM	Blood or Serum
Hepatitis B, Acute	Serology¹	Blood
Hepatitis B, Perinatal	Serology¹	Blood
Measles (Rubeola)	Culture, Serology IgM, or PCR	Blood or serum, Urine, Nasopharyngeal, or Throat Swab
Meningococcal Disease	Culture²	Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below
Mumps	Culture, Serology IgM, or PCR	Blood, Buccal Swab, Nasopharyngeal, or Throat Swab
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)	Culture¹, or PCR¹	Nasopharyngeal aspirate or wash, or throat swab
Polio (Poliomyelitis, paralytic & Poliovirus Infection, non-paralytic)	Clinical diagnosis (Poliomyelitis), Culture (Poliovirus infection)	Stool, CSF, or oropharyngeal secretions
Rubella (German Measles, Three-Day Measles)	Culture, Serology IgM or PCR	Blood or serum
Smallpox	CDC Only	Vesicular or pustular fluid
Streptococcus pneumoniae	Culture²	Blood, CSF, or from any sterile site listed below
Tetanus	Clinical diagnosis	N/A
Varicella (Chickenpox)	Culture, DFA, Serology or PCR¹	Lesion
Total 09/01/2024-08/31/2025

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

Page last updated: March 30, 2026