Health Board Adopts Rules for Emergency Quarantining

By Jens Manuel Krogstad, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

Mar. 10–WATERLOO — The Black Hawk County Board of Health passed mandatory quarantine and isolation rules that would be enforced in case of a public health emergency.

The measure was approved Thursday at a joint meeting with the Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors. The health board adopted rules already in place in the Iowa Administrative Code.

By adopting them at the local level, it gives the county legal authority to enforce the rules, which could raise medical confidentiality and civil liberties issues if enacted, said health department director Tom O’Rourke.

“Quarantine and isolation used to be a very common practice, but it’s new to most public health veterans,” he said. “We need to be aware of the legal and social issues today.”

He said some examples in which quarantine and isolation measures could be implemented are an outbreak of contagious disease, including pandemic flu, tuberculosis, measles or small pox.

Dr. Bob Friedman, a health board member and physician, noted the measures likely would only be put in place upon recommendation from state or federal authorities.

O’Rourke said paying for a major outbreak also needs to be addressed, because the final bill for Black Hawk County in a severe outbreak could soar into the millions of dollars. He said he hopes to see some money from the proposed state cigarette tax hike go to a public health emergency pool.

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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