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Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Response
The Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Response (IDER) program conducts infectious disease surveillance and outbreak investigations and provides subject matter expertise to local health departments, health care facilities, physicians, veterinarians and the general public.
Healthcare-Associated Infections & Antimicrobial Resistance
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are infections acquired during the delivery of medical care that were not present or incubating upon exposure to the health care setting. Antimicrobial resistance (AR) is the ability of microbes to resist the effects of drugs commonly used to treat them. Infections with resistant organisms are difficult to treat, requiring costly and sometimes toxic alternatives.
The HAI/AR program performs activities pursuant of developing state level infrastructure and monitoring of HAIs and AR. It is also guided by the objectives set forth by the Kansas HAI/AR Advisory Group to enhance prevention and response efforts, and collaborate with key health care organizations in the state -- and nationally -- to promote prevention initiatives. The program has served to develop key relationships between healthcare providers and key state agencies and bureaus.
Additionally, the program provides consultative service on infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship across the continuum of care.
Surveillance Systems & EpiTrax
The Infectious Disease Surveillance Systems program administers and maintains the state's secure, web-based electronic disease surveillance system (EpiTrax). It also administers KORDS, the Kansas Online Reporting Disease System, an online portal for healthcare providers to report suspect and confirmed cases of
COVID-19.
The program also oversees “meaningful use” data interoperability initiatives, including Electronic Laboratory Reporting and Electronic Case Reporting.
EpiTrax is utilized by all local health departments and KDHE. Case information is entered in EpiTrax by both local health departments and KDHE. Disease investigators can access and manage the case records. The system includes an outbreak management module, which facilitates information-sharing between KDHE and local health departments working jointly on outbreak investigations. EpiTrax is used to transmit Kansas reportable disease data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a weekly basis.