1. It shall be the general duty and responsibility of the department of health and senior services to safeguard the health of the people in the state and all its subdivisions. It shall make a study of the causes and prevention of diseases. It shall designate those diseases which are infectious, contagious, communicable or dangerous in their nature and shall make and enforce adequate orders, findings, rules and regulations to prevent the spread of such diseases and to determine the prevalence of such diseases within the state. It shall have power and authority, with approval of the director of the department, to make such orders, findings, rules and regulations as will prevent the entrance of infectious, contagious and communicable diseases into the state.

2. The department of health and senior services shall include in its list of communicable or infectious diseases which must be reported to the department methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) as specified by the department, and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE).