Cochise County officials outline how epidemiology and environmental health track and prevent foodborne illness

Cochise County public health officials on Friday described how the county uses epidemiology, environmental inspections and laboratory testing to detect and investigate possible foodborne and other environmental illnesses.

Epidemiologist Axel Lopez and Environmental Health Division Director Natalie Johnson told the Board of Health that the county relies on three surveillance approaches — passive reporting by clinicians and labs, active case finding and syndromic surveillance of emergency‑room visits — and coordinates with state and federal partners when outbreaks cross jurisdictions. "Epidemiology analyzes the patterns or exposures and we come up with hypotheses on what the cause or agent for disease might be," Lopez said.

The overview is intended to explain how county staff detect problems early and how environmental health supports regulated businesses and temporary vendors…