Communicable diseases can spread rapidly when they proliferate undetected through a population. If you are a health care provider, or an employee of a school, state institution, laboratory or infection control institution and you become aware of a diagnosed communicable disease, it is important to alert the proper authorities as soon as possible. The report should be made in the local health department where the infected individual resides. Here are some steps you should take to complete the process.
Instructions
1. Report communicable diseases within 24 hours of diagnosis. It is especially important to notify you local Department of Health (DOH) if the disease is quarantinable. Each state has their own individual DOH that requires you to fill out a form to report a communicable disease. According to the New York State Department of Health, diseases that are especially important to report to prevent their spread are rabies (animal bites), anthrax, botulism, diptheria, arboviral infection, glanders, foodborne illness, encephalitis, diptheria, measles, monkey pox, plague, hepatitis A (food handlers), Q fever, rubella, melioidosis, meningococcemia, haemophilus, smallpox, melioidosis, SARS, and staphylococcal enterotoxin B poisoning. Any disease that is causing an outbreak or appears to have newly emerged should be reported as well.
2. Find your DOH. Go to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on the Centers for Disease Control website and click on the map in the area of the state in which you are making the report. The map is separated by regions including Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern. After you have clicked on your region, you can click on the specific state in that region to go to the state's DOH website. You can also call information (411) and ask for the phone number for your State Department of Health.
3. Look for your county DOH within the State Department of Health website to make a report. Either search for your specific county health department, or contact your state DOH to get this information. Generally you will report communicable diseases to the county before you report to the state.
4. Provide all pertinent information about the infected individual. Make sure to include full name, address, telephone numbers, sex, race, birth date, ethnicity, social security number and diagnosis. It is also necessary to indicate if the individual is pregnant. The types of tests completed to attain the diagnosis should also be included in the report; be sure to provide collection date and treatments provided. The laboratory and doctor's name must also be listed in the communicable disease report. Check your individual county or state website to get specifics on their reporting procedures.
Tags: Department Health, communicable disease, State Department, State Department Health, especially important
