Novel coronavirus causing severe respiratory illnessIn September 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the discovery of a novel coronavirus causing human infection which resulted in fatal acute lower respiratory illness in a man in Saudi Arabia. Since then, additional cases have occurred in the Arabian Peninsula and neighboring countries, and in the United Kingdom and France, in persons who traveled to the affected areas or who had contact with a person with novel coronavirus infection. There have been no novel coronavirus infections reported in the United States. See the Novel Coronavirus webpage for more information.
Novel influenza A (H7N9) in ChinaOn April 1, 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported the first known human infections with a novel avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in China. Additional cases are expected. To date, there have been no cases in the United States. For more information, see the Novel Influenza H7N9 webpage.
Certain communicable diseases are required to be reported to the local health department (see List of Reportable Diseases) as per the State of California Code of Regulations. Epidemiology and Assessment (E&A) unit's medical directors, public health nurses, and epidemiologists investigate individual cases and outbreaks of reported communicable diseases. We monitor disease trends, and often provide current statistics and other information to doctors, hospitals, the public and news media. We may also provide education or preventive treatment in some circumstances. Although other units handle reports of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), we do monitor their trends in Orange County.
