Unexplained Critical Illness or Death

Requirements for the reporting of unexplained critical illness or death were instituted in December of 2000. Since then, DOH has received 0 to 6 reports annually. The most common clinical syndromes reported are central nervous system (meningitis, encephalitis), respiratory, and sepsis/multi-organ failure.

It is important that clinicians report unusual disease occurrences or deaths to their local health jurisdictions even before they have completed a laboratory investigation.

Purpose of Reporting and Surveillance

  • To identify emerging pathogens in Washington State
  • To raise the index of suspicion of a possible bioterrorism event
  • To recognize critical illnesses or deaths with potential public health impact

Note: Public health resources cannot support the work to diagnose all cases of unexplained critical illness or death.

Legal Reporting Requirements

  • Health care providers and Health care facilities: notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 24 hours
  • Laboratories: no requirements for reporting
  • Local health jurisdictions: notifiable to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Communicable Disease Epidemiology (CDE) within 7 days of case investigation completion or summary information required within 21 days

Resources

Notifiable Conditions Directory

2022 Communicable Disease Report (PDF)

LHJ CD Epi Investigator Manual (PDF)

Washington Disease Reporting System - WDRS

Disease Surveillance Data

epiTRENDS

Legal Requirements

List of Notifiable Conditions

Local Health Jurisdictions

Specimen Submission Forms