The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve as variants develop and new information about the virus is discovered by state, federal and global scientists. Protect yourself and your loved ones by staying informed on local disease trends and taking the recommended precautions.

To stay up-to-date with information about COVID-19, please visit COVID-19 Updates page 

For statewide information about COVID-19, please visit coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home

For federal information about COVID-19, please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/

The health department utilizes disease surveillance and investigation to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in the community. The Nursing division collaborates with health care providers, schools, and the community to minimize illness, hospitalization, and death from communicable diseases through public outreach, education, and vaccinations.

Communicable diseases are illnesses that can be transmitted from person to person or animal to person. People spread communicable diseases to others in a variety of ways:

• Contact with contaminated body fluids. For example, a common way respiratory illnesses like whooping cough (Pertussis) are transmitted is through contact with contaminated body fluids.
• Eating contaminated foods or beverages. Foodborne illnesses like salmonella are often spread by eating contaminated foods.

With any communicable disease, it is important to understand how the illness is transmitted and use appropriate preventative measures, such as handwashing and covering your cough.

If you suspect a foodborne illness, please contact a healthcare provider.

Flu season generally begins in October and ends the following year at the end of May. Putnam County Department of Health offers seasonal influenza vaccine clinics for residents of Putnam County. There are currently no clinics scheduled.

The health department also offers free influenza vaccine to all Putnam County school-age children in our school-based flu clinics. Partnering with the Board of Education, school administration, school nurses, and Parent/Teacher Organizations (PTO), the Nursing division provides an annual school-based influenza vaccination program. Please check with your school district for scheduling and forms at the beginning of the school year.

Hepatitis C screening and diagnosis at the health department is currently on hold. Please check back for updates.

The Department of Health provides childhood, adult, and travel immunizations through regularly scheduled vaccine clinics.

Trusted resources for parents and caregivers of newborns can be found here. These resources were curated by the Nursing division’s Maternal Child Health program staff.

A Breastfeeding Support Group located at Hudson Valley Hospital Center is open to Putnam County residents. The group is led by Certified Lactation Consultants. Registration is required by calling 914-734-3257.

A New Parent Support Group is available online through the Desmond-Fish Library. More information can be found on their website.

The Child Find Program is also available to families with infants who would benefit from additional screening and monitoring. Child Find is a statewide program which offers regular screening tests to children at risk for delay in growth and development. The program also provides referrals to other programs and diagnostic services in the community for children birth to 3 years who may have special needs. For more information about the program, please view the Child Find Flyer.

The department of health works closely with healthcare providers to ensure lead poisoning prevention, testing, risk assessment, and referrals to lead treatment centers. Public Health Law requires that children receive blood lead testing at their 1- and 2-year check-ups. If appropriate, children up to age 18 and pregnant women should also be screened for lead exposure and testing.

If elevated blood lead levels are detected, PCDOH staff initiates case management, which includes a developmental screening and a nutritional status assessment. Risk reduction, nutrition, and developmental education information is provided to families, and referrals to other agencies when appropriate. The Clinical Services division works closely with Environmental Health Services staff during case management to lower the risk of lead poisoning.

Elevated blood lead levels in children can affect growth, behavior, and their ability to learn.

Lyme disease and other tickborne illnesses like anaplasmosis and babesiosis continue to be a prevalent health issue in Putnam County. Tick removal kits are distributed widely to local camp operators, the public during presentations, and to individuals who visit the health department.

To prevent tick bites:

• Wear light-colored clothing.
• Tuck long pants into socks and shirts into pants.
• Avoid heavily wooded areas and high grass where ticks are known to inhabit.
• Check yourself for ticks often while outdoors and again after returning home.
• Check pets for ticks.
• Use repellents containing DEET sparingly on clothes, and only on exposed skin.

To remove a tick:

• Remove the tick as soon as possible.
• Using fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
• Pull upward with a steady, even pressure.
• Thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands.
• Dispose of the tick.

If you develop a rash, fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, or joint swelling and pain in the following 30 days, contact your healthcare provider.

Following the emergence of West Nile Virus and Zika Virus, our staff continues to respond to public concerns and are trained in environmentally friendly mosquito control measures. Educational efforts surrounding mosquito prevention continue to be routinely incorporated into public presentations, as well as at health fairs.

Prevention efforts include eliminating standing water where mosquitos breed, using larvicide correctly, using window screens, and applying mosquito repellents.

Information about rabies prevention and what to do if you were bitten by an animal can be found on the rabies website.

Clinical Services staff work with local health care providers and exposed individuals to ensure accurate and timely completion of Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis if appropriate.

Rabies vaccination is available for people in certain circumstances. Please call the health department at 845-808-1390 if vaccination was recommended before travel or for a veterinary program.

Through a partnership with Open Door Brewster, Putnam County residents can receive free testing and treatment for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Syphilis. To make an appointment for testing and treatment, please call Open Door Brewster at 845-279-6999 and tell them you were referred through the Putnam County Department of Health.

Free anonymous or confidential HIV screening is available for New York State residents by appointment on Tuesday and Thursdays between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the health department, located at 1 Geneva Road, Brewster, NY. Please call 845-808-1390 for an appointment. Any individual whose testing confirms an HIV diagnosis is linked to medical care and other related services. More information about HIV can be found by visiting here or here.

Consistent and correct use of condoms can significantly reduce the chance of STD transmission. Free condoms are available in the Department of Health lobby.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by the bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The TB bacteria can infect any part of the body, but usually infects the lungs. TB is spread through the air from one person to another when a person with TB disease of the lungs coughs or sneezes. People nearby may breathe in the bacteria and become infected. Tuberculosis is treatable and curable.

Tuberculosis evaluation and treatment services are offered free of charge to Putnam County residents. Individuals in Putnam County with active TB receive treatment and are closely monitored by health department staff. Individuals with Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) are offered treatment, which significantly reduces their risk of developing active TB and ultimately reduces the chances of others becoming infected.

For information about evaluation or treatment for TB, or to schedule a TB skin test, please call 845-808-1390.

County and zip code level surveillance data is provided weekly to inform health care provider decision making on COVID-19 like illness. 

• COVID Report 5/21/23 - 5/27/23
• COVID Report 5/14/23 - 5/20/23
• COVID Report 5/7/23 - 5/13/23
• COVID Report 4/30/23 - 5/6/23
• COVID Report 4/23/23 - 4/29/23
• COVID Report 4/16/23 - 4/22/23
• COVID Report 4/9/23 - 4/15/23
• COVID Report 4/2/23 - 4/8/23
• COVID Report 3/26/23 - 4/1/23
• COVID Report 3/19/23 - 3/25/23
• COVID Report 3/12/23 - 3/18/23
• COVID Report 3/5/23 - 3/11/23
• COVID Report 2/26/23 - 3/4/23
• COVID Report 2/19/23 - 2/25/23
• COVID Report 2/12/23 - 2/18/23
• COVID Report 2/5/23 - 2/11/23
• COVID Report 1/29/23 - 2/4/23 
• COVID Report 1/22/23 - 1/28/23
• COVID Report 1/15/23 - 1/21/23
• COVID Report 1/8/23 - 1/14/23

There are over 70 communicable diseases that are reportable to the health department. Physicians play a critical role in the reporting of communicable diseases and can make the difference between an outbreak being prevented or occurring. Several outbreaks, such as West Nile Virus, pertussis, and some enteric outbreaks were initially identified by clinicians reporting to public health authorities in a timely manner.

Reporting of suspected or confirmed communicable diseases is mandated under the New York State Sanitary Code (10NYCRR 2.10). Reports must be submitted within 24 hours of diagnosis. The list of reportable diseases can be found here. Some diseases warrant prompt action and should be reported immediately by calling 845-808-1390.

STDs should be reported using this form with this cover page and returned to the Putnam County Department of Health via fax at 845-279-4104.

Lyme Disease should be reported using this form and faxed to 845-279-4104.

Anaplasmosis, E. chaffeensis and Babesiosis should be reported using this form and faxed to 845-279-4104.

County and zip code level surveillance data is provided weekly to inform health care provider decision making on flu like illness. 

In accordance with the CDC and the New York State Department of Health, reporting for the 2022-2023 flu season has concluded. Reporting for the 2023-2024 season will begin in October.

• Flu Report 5/14/23 - 5/20/23
• Flu Report 5/7/23 - 5/13/23
• Flu Report 4/30/23 - 5/6/23
• Flu Report 4/23/23 - 4/29/23
• Flu Report 4/16/23 - 4/22/23
• Flu Report 4/9/23 - 4/15/23
• Flu Report 4/2/23 - 4/8/23
• Flu Report 3/26/23 - 4/1/23
• Flu Report 3/19/23 - 3/25/23
• Flu Report 3/12/23 - 3/18/23
• Flu Report 3/5/23 - 3/11/23
• Flu Report 2/26/23 - 3/4/23
• Flu Report 2/19/23 - 2/25/23
• Flu Report 2/12/23 - 2/18/23
• Flu Report 2/5/23 - 2/11/23
• Flu Report 1/29/23 - 2/4/23
• Flu Report 1/22/23 - 1/28/23
• Flu Report 1/15/23 - 1/21/23
• Flu Report 1/8/23 - 1/14/23
• Flu Report 1/1/23 - 1/7/23
• Flu Report 12/25/22 - 12/31/22
• Flu Report 12/18/22 - 12/24/22
• Flu Report 12/11/22 – 12/17/22
• Flu Report 12/04/22 - 12/10/22
• Flu Report 11/27/22 – 12/3/22
• Flu Report 11/20/22 – 11/26/22
• Flu Report 11/13/22 – 11/19/22
• Flu Report 11/06/22 – 11/12/22
• Flu Report 10/30/22 – 11/5/22 
• Flu Report 10/23/22 – 10/29/22 
• Flu Report 10/16/22 – 10/22/22 
• Flu Report 10/9/22 – 10/15/22 

To receive important advisories and updates from NYSDOH regarding healthcare issues, create a Health Commerce System account at commerce.health.state.ny.us/public/hcs_login.html.

• Physician Advisory: Flu April 6, 2022
• Physician Advisory: Flu December 1, 2021
• Physician Advisory: Anaplasmosis July 21, 2021