Vol. 29, No. 1 #7 (February 2006). Quarantine Laws in Wyoming.

• Author: By Robin Sessions Cooley

Wyoming Bar Journal

2006.

Vol. 29, No. 1 #7 (February 2006).

Quarantine Laws in Wyoming

WYOMING LAWYERFebruary 2006/Vol. 29, No. 1Quarantine Laws in WyomingBy Robin Sessions Cooley

Funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been provided to the Wyoming Department of Health, Public Health and Terrorism Preparedness Program to assess the range and limits of authority of federal, state and local governments in the event of a public health emergency. Of concern to both the CDC and the State are the coordination, activation and enforcement of Wyoming's quarantine statutes.(fn1) According to Dr. Brent Sherard, M.D., M.P.H., the State Public Health Officer and the Director for the Department of Health, quarantine and isolation mandates are public health "tools" that were effectively utilized in the pre-antibiotic era to help eliminate the spread of contagious diseases. With the recent advent of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), the possible use of smallpox as a biological weapon, and now with pandemic influenza potentially on the horizon, these time honored public health "tools" may again play a pivotal role in the containment of epidemic diseases.

A clear understanding of the process and thoughtful consideration of the ramifications of quarantine and isolation procedures are essential in planning for possible disease outbreaks. However, understanding the process is sometimes difficult as Wyoming's contagious disease and quarantine statutes are found in a variety of locations in Title 35 of the Wyoming Statutes and are conflicting at times. This article attempts to outline relevant Wyoming Statutes that set out the roles of various governmental agencies and officials in investigating and controlling infectious or communicable diseases in Wyoming to assist in a basic understanding of the process.

Investigation

The department of health, through the state health officer, has the duty and responsibility to "investigate and control the causes of epidemic, endemic, communicable, occupational and other diseases and afflictions, and physical disabilities resulting therefrom, affecting the public health[.]"(fn2) Mandatory reporting requirements assist in this endeavor. The state public health officer publishes a list of communicable diseases and conditions which require reporting by licensed...