Environmental Health

Sanitarian Program

The Winnebago County Health Department provides licensing and inspection for a variety of establishments including restaurants, retail food establishments, lodging, campgrounds, swimming pools, mobile home parks, body art facilities and recreational/ educational camps. The goal of the program is to prevent communicable diseases and foodborne illnesses from affecting county residents and visitors.

2019 Highlights:

  • Started a carbon monoxide follow-up program for new state law requiring reporting of poisonings.

  • Launched a new tick surveillance and testing program in partnership with UW-Oshkosh.

  • Responded to high levels of arsenic in well water at a Town of Algoma elementary school and investigated potential for high arsenic in private wells in the area.

  • Expanded lead prevention education to families in WIC with blood lead levels between 5-9ug/dL from just 10ug/dL and higher.

  • After working with the OASD, DHS and the DNR to mitigate high levels of arsenic found in the Town of Algoma, WCHD is encouraging local residents to have their private wells tested.

Food Safety:

The majority of our sanitarian inspections are related to food (677/810 =83.6%). The remaining 133 inspections vary as depicted in the graph below.


Vector Borne Disease Training:

Staff spent two days learning about vector borne disease tracking.

Radon Testing & Awareness:

WCHD promotes radon testing yearly by discounting radon test kits during Radon Awareness Month (January). Data gathered over the past decade shows that Winnebago Cty has higher than average levels of radon in relation to bedrock and housing factors. Through media exposure, online platforms and posters, WCHD encourages residents to test their home. As more results are compiled it will help state and national efforts to track radon levels and respond appropriately. Learn more about radon on our website.

309 radon test kits were sold in 2019, more than double the previous year (2018 = 111 kits). Test results percentages were very comparable year to year.


Selling radon test kits at the Oshkosh Winter Farmers Market

Reportable Investigations

Carbon Monoxide Reporting:

Staff conducts follow-up interviews to gain information about the nature and cause of all carbon monoxide blood results that are greater than 5%. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning results in approximately 400 emergency department visits and 50 hospitalizations in Wisconsin annually.

14 CO exposures were reported and investigated in 2019.

Lead Investigations:


Transient Non-Community Water:

Locations serving water to at least 25 persons for 6 or more months of the year. This is often churches, community halls, bars and other

2.6% (3 of the 117 tested) had unsafe bacteria levels requiring remediation.

Animal Bite Investigations:

WCHD staff works cooperatively with local law enforcement, veterinarians and state officials to ensure that all potential human cases of rabies are investigated. In consult with the local physicians and veterinarians, WCHD staff provide guidance on the treatment of persons and animals that may have been exposed to rabies or other animal-related exposures.

Total number of reports were down, in 2019 (209) from 2018 (260). The "other" category of this graph was one of each the following: cow, horse, rat & squirrel.

Learn more about about symptoms, risk factors and response actions for rabies.


Blue-green algae (BGA):

BGA (cyanobacteria) and cyanotoxin poisoning became a reportable condition in Wisconsin on July 1. Prior to July 1, we received BGA related illness complaints voluntarily from citizens, local health departments, physicians and veterinarians, and the Wisconsin Poison Center. All human illness complaints, no matter where they originate, must be reported to public health departments for investigation. No reports of BGA illness were received in 2019.