California Health Alert Network (CAHAN) San Diego

Page last updated 10/23/2025.

The California Health Alert Network (CAHAN) is California's official public health alerting and notification program that enables public health and safety agencies to rapidly and securely communicate to the San Diego medical and public health community about:

• Emergency preparedness and planning information,
• Emerging health issues and heightened surveillance of communicable diseases,
• Recommendations/guidelines on the identification, prevention, infection control and testing of communicable disease. 

Contact Us: 

• Complete this form to request to be subscribed to receive alerts.
• See current and archived alerts.
• Call (619) 692-8499 or (858) 565-5255 during afterhours.
• Send an email to CAHAN.HHSA@sdcounty.ca.gov. 

See disease reporting requirements for Health Care Providers and Clinical Laboratories. 

Communication Types

Communications are ranked and distributed into three (3) different levels:

• Alert: Conveys the highest level of importance – warrants immediate action or attention.
• Advisory: Provides important information for a specific incident or situation – may not require immediate attention.
• Update: Provides updated information regarding an incident or situation – unlikely to require immediate action along with general information that is not necessarily considered to be of an emergent nature.

Resources:

Federal

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health Communications

State

• California Department of Public Health—Health Communications 
• California Department of Public Health Food Recalls

Regional

• Los Angeles County Health Communications
• Orange County Health Communications  
• Riverside County Health Communications

Top of Page

Call the Epidemiology Unit at (619) 692-8499, or send an e-mail, for more information.