Disease and Conditions

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Certain diseases and conditions can have a significant public health impact. A number of diseases and conditions are required to be reported promptly to the patient’s local health department. If you would like to learn more about the communicable disease reporting requirements in Wisconsin, please click here (.pdf). When local health departments receive a lab report, staff contact the individual to ask questions and provide education.

For more information, contact one of our Public Health Nurses by calling the Marathon County Health Department at 715-261-1900.

To report a communicable disease, please call 715-261-1900. If a call is placed after hours or on a holiday, a phone number will be provided to contact the on-call manager.

Disease Reporting

Disease Reporting for Providers

You play an important role in our efforts to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

We provide guidance, education, follow up, and surveillance for state reportable diseases and conditions as outlined in Wisconsin state statute Wis. Admin Code ch DHS 145 Control of Communicable Diseases. Diseases and conditions that are reportable are considered to have significant public health impact and any confirmed or suspect cases must be reported promptly.

What Needs to be Reported

Any Health Care Provider or School is required to report state-reportable diseases and conditions. Per licensing requirements, licensed child care facilities are also required to report these same communicable diseases and conditions.

Category I diseases must be reported to us:

IMMEDIATELY by phone (715) 261-1900 AND
Within 24 hours electronically through the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS) (preferred) or by fax (715) 261-1901

If you need to report outside of our regular business hours of Monday – Thursday: 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, and Friday 7:30 am to 12:00 pm, call (715) 261-1900 and listen to the prerecorded message. The message will provide a phone number to reach the on-call manager.

Category II diseases must be reported within 72 hours to us:

through Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS), OR
by phone (715) 261-1900, OR
by fax (715) 261-1901 using one of the disease reporting forms below:
- General reporting requirements are described in Wis. Stat. ch. 252 Communicable Diseases.
- Specific reporting requirements are described in Wis. Admin Code. ch. DHS 145 Control of Communicable Diseases.

Disease Reporting Forms

Communicable Disease Report Form
Sexually Transmitted Infection Report Form
HIV should be reported directly to the Wisconsin HIV Program

Long Term Care and Other Health Care Facilities Outbreak Information

In Wisconsin, confirmed or suspected outbreaks of any disease in health care facilities, including long term care facilities (LTCFs), are a Category I Disease, meaning they must be reported immediately. For facilities in Marathon County, this reporting requirement may be fulfilled by completing the reporting tool listed below.

Acute Respiratory Illness Outbreaks

Norovirus and Other Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreaks

Food Poisoning

Do you think you got sick from something you ate? Fill out a foodborne illness report!

A lot of people think they got sick from their last meal. Some germs make you sick soon after eating, but many can take up to 3 or more days to develop.

Contact your health care provider, especially if:

You are having severe symptoms like bloody diarrhea, severe nausea and vomiting, or a high fever.
You are pregnant
You are 65 or older
You have a weakened immune system
The sick person is under the age of 5

These people are at higher risk of getting sick from germs in contaminated food. They are also at higher risk of developing serious medical problems.

Prevent your illness from spreading!

Don't make food for others if you’ve been sick.

Norovirus is the most common cause of food poisoning. It spreads easily and causes diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain.

If you’ve been sick:

Disinfect surfaces
Don't prepare food for your family or work for 24–48 hours after your symptoms have gone away.

Learn More

Respiratory Illness (COVID-19, flu, and RSV)

Steps to Take When You’re Sick

Many respiratory illnesses, like COVID-19, influenza (commonly referred to as the flu), RSV, and colds, spread the same ways and have similar symptoms. The CDC simplified what we should do when we’re sick with one of these illnesses to prevent others from getting sick too.

1. Stay home if you have symptoms.

Stay home and away from others, including people you live with, if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed below that aren’t better explained by another cause, like seasonal allergies.

Fever
Cough
Runny or stuffy nose
Headache
And other common symptoms, like sneezing, sore throat, chills, wheezing, chest discomfort, fatigue (tiredness), muscle or body aches, weakness, new loss of taste or smell, decrease in appetite, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Consider antiviral treatments soon after your symptoms start. For some respiratory illnesses, there are treatments to help prevent you from becoming seriously ill or dying.

See the CDC’s page on Treatment of Respiratory Viruses for more information on types of treatment.
Talk with your doctor to see if one of these treatments are right for you.
If you have COVID, you must begin the antiviral treatment within five days of your symptoms starting for it to be effective. Talk to your doctor to see if this is right for you.

2. Know when you can leave home and resume normal activities.

You may leave your home and resume your normal activities if both the following are true:

You have been fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and
Your symptoms are getting better overall.

See the CDC’s page on Preventing Spread of Respiratory Viruses When You’re Sick for examples.

3. Take steps to protect others for 5 days after resuming your normal activities.

Even once you resume your activities, you may still be able to get others sick.

To avoid getting others sick, take these steps for 5 days after you resume your normal activities:

Wear a well-fitting mask when around others.
Physically distance yourself from people as much as possible.
Consider testing for respiratory viruses. A positive COVID-19 test may mean it’s more likely you could spread the virus to others.
Avoid being around people who have an increased risk of developing severe illness, like family members with cancer or people in a nursing home.

If you have a weakened immune system

If you have a weakened immune system, you may be able to spread the virus to others for a longer period of time. Take this into consideration when choosing which precautions to use and how long to use them after returning to normal activities. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about your individual situation.

I tested positive for COVID but don’t have symptoms.

You might take a test if you have a sick person in your home or if you’re seeing a person who is more likely to get severely sick. You might be surprised to get a positive result if you feel well.

Follow the steps above for at least 5 days after testing positive. Even though you feel well, you may still be able to get others sick.
If you develop symptoms after testing positive, stay home until you meet the criteria above to leave your home.

If you’re a healthcare worker, there are different recommendations for you.

Health care workers are subject to different recommendations due to widespread exposure to respiratory illnesses in your work.

Tuberculosis (TB)

3d rendering of the blood vessels of human lungs Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection caused by bacteria that can infect the lungs, bones, skin, and other body parts.

We test those at risk for TB and treat people with latent and active TB disease to reduce rates of the infection since the bacteria can be spread through the air by coughing, sneezing, or speaking.

Are you at risk?

Not everyone needs to be tested for tuberculosis. Check to see if you have risk factors . In Wisconsin, the two most common risk factors for TB disease are:

Being born in a country where TB disease is more common.
Having contact with someone with active TB disease.

TB Disease Symptoms & Treatment

TB disease means your immune system can't fight the TB bacteria you have been infected with. TB can occur anywhere in the body, but for most people, it will infect the lungs. People with TB disease in the lungs can spread the infection to others.

People with TB disease in the lungs may have:

A bad cough lasting 3 weeks or longer
Pain in the chest
Cough up blood or sputum
Weakness or fatigue
Weight loss
No appetite
Chills
Fever
Sweating at night

We work with clinics and hospitals to make sure active cases of tuberculosis are quickly identified. We help patients with active TB, from diagnosis through cure. We also make sure that anyone who has had contact with someone who has active TB is tested and, if necessary, treated.

Latent TB Infection & Treatment

Latent TB means you have been infected with TB bacteria, but your immune system has been able to fight the bacteria to keep you from getting active TB disease. People with Latent TB infection:

Have no symptoms
Don't feel sick
Can't spread TB to others
Usually have a positive skin test result
CAN develop TB disease later in life if they don't get treated

We work with local providers to make sure that people who have Latent TB infection get treated.

Where Can I Get Tested?

Marathon County Health Department does not provide Tuberculosis (TB) screening for work, school, or volunteering. However, if you have other risk factors for TB, such as being foreign born, you may qualify for TB screening through Marathon County Health Department. The department screens for TB with a TB skin or blood test. To get a TB test, call Marathon County Health Department at: 715-261-1900.

If you need a TB test for work, school, or volunteering, Marathon County Health Department is aware of the following health care organizations that also provide TB skin tests or blood tests, in addition to your primary care provider:

Aspirus Occupational Health: 715-847-2812
Marshfield Clinic Occupational Health: 877-962-2633

Call for hours and costs.

Resources

Other Communicable Diseases

Have questions or concerns about a communicable disease or condition?

Please reach out to your health care provider who can focus on diagnosing and treating you. We focus on protecting the health of the community. We may be able to answer general communicable disease questions or concerns.