U.S. Port Preparedness at the Local Health Department Level (PDF)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention operates 20 quarantine stations throughout the United States. These quarantine stations are part of a comprehensive system that limits the introduction of infectious diseases into the United States and prevents their spread. Local health departments collaborate with the quarantine stations and support these activities; however, many issues remain unresolved with respect to planning for and responding to health-related situations at U.S. ports of entry at the local level. This publication describes challenges that local health departments face when planning for preparedness activities and identifies strengths in the current system to improve planning and response activities.