Communicable disease control must remain at local level

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7306.236/a

BMJ 2001;323:236 ( 28 July )

Letters

Communicable disease control must remain at local level

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ We doctors are becoming used to learning about important government policies through the media, and so I was not surprisedto learn of the probable demise of my own health authority inthis way in a recent news item.¹

I believe, however, that the Department of Health needs to think carefully about what will happen to communicable diseasecontrol when the number of authorities is reduced. The 30 remaining"strategic health authorities" will monitor the performance oflocal health services and provide a link with the Department ofHealth.

Each authority will cover an average population of 1.5m. Control of infectious disease and environmental hazards depends entirelyon close working relationships with colleagues in primary care,local councils, school health, and other local agencies. In NorthCumbria we have seen the importance of this close working in recentyears when we faced a large outbreak of Escherichia coli O157,. . . [Full text of this article]

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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Communicable disease control: the coalface: Anthony Breslin
bmj.com, 27 Jul 2001 [Full text]
Strategic and operational responsibilities should be separated: Surinder Bakhshi
bmj.com, 27 Jul 2001 [Full text]
Shifting the balance and public health: Tony Jewell
bmj.com, 7 Aug 2001 [Full text]
Re: Shifting the balance and public health: Woody Caan
bmj.com, 8 Aug 2001 [Full text]