• Local Health Jurisdictions

• Notifiable Conditions Reporting Numbers

• Reporting Forms and Guidelines

• Disease Surveillance Data

• Glossary

• Legal Requirements

• EpiTrends

• Notifiable Conditions & the Health Care ProviderPDF, 97KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Health Care Facility(PDF, 104KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Laboratory (PDF, 55KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Local Health Jurisdiction  (PDF, 44KB)

• Notifiable Conditions & the Veterinarian(PDF, 60KB)

• Communicable Disease Epidemiology

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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: notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 24 hours
• 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

Last update
February 2011