Orange County Health Department

Orange County Heatlh Department

The Orange County Health Department is the agency of government charged with protecting the health and safety of the visitors and residents of Orange County, FL The estimated daytime population of Orange County, FL is 1.5 Million people. Publications by staff have included MMWR reports through the CDC of foodborne, waterborne, zoonotic, and other infectious diseases, as well as health education materials for children and nutrition, and performance improvement for public health practice. The Orange County Health Department is a subunit of the FL Department of Health[1] responsible for a jurisdiction that is larger than 8 U.S. States and the District of Columbia.

Deadly Ameoba Deaths

In 2007, 3 deaths of children due to a rare deadly infection, Amoebic meningitis due to Naegleria Fowlerii, in Orange County, have prompted an investigation in conjuction with the Centers for Disease Control.[2] This is a waterborne infection that enters the brain through the nose, usually resutling in death. It is associated with swimming and water sports in freshwater among various other risks. There is some evidence that recent outbreaks of Naegleria Fowlerii may be linked with global climate change.

Orange County FL has had 12 cases of Primary Ameobic encephalitis in 45 years out of 22 cases of Naegleria Fowlerii for the whole state of FL. There have been only about 200 cases of primary aemeobic meningo-enecephalitis worldwide. Other waterborne diseases have recently been investigated by the Orange County Health Department, the Florida Department of Health and the CDC. Techniques for identifying Cyclosporiasis, an organism which is difficult to identify, were first developed in Central FL.