Communicable Disease

A Communicable Disease is a Notifiable Condition

Notifiable Condition reporting-- "It's not just a good idea, it's the law."

In accordance with Washington State law (www.doh.wa.gov/notify/other/legal.htm), public health and health care providers should report notifiable conditions to the local health jurisdiction in the county of the patient's residence. Disease reporting telephone numbers for Garfield County and Department of Health are provided below. For a complete list of notifiable conditions for health care providers, hospitals, laboratories, and veterinarians, please refer to the poster section at http://www.doh.wa.gov/notify.

  • Garfield County Health District:

             509-843-3412 after hours: 509-843-3494

  • Washington State Department of Health 24-hour reporting line:

             1-877-539-4344

How to report a disease (Notifiable Condition)

General Information About Communicable Diseases

Communicable diseases are those conditions that can be spread to others through air, touch, or contact with contaminated body fluids. Some of the most common communicable diseases are:

  • chlamydia,
  • hepatitis A, B and C,
  • giardia,
  • salmonella,
  • pertussis
  • and campylobacter.

Not only is it important to be treated for infection, it is necessary for the health department to track communicable diseases in order to ensure the safety of the community by seeking to prevent disease outbreaks.

Diseases that the health department keeps track of are called "reportable". All physicians, healthcare providers and laboratory personnel are required by law to submit reportable disease information to their local health department.

Garfield County Health District has staff that is responsible for preventing possible disease outbreaks and providing education to the public. When cases of communicable disease are found, a confidential investigation is conducted to determine the source of the infection. Some diseases are spread via talking, coughing, and sneezing while others are spread through contaminated water, food, blood, and/or sexual contact. All communicable diseases must be investigated thoroughly to prevent the spread of disease.

All Washington healthcare providers are required to report patients with the following conditions to their local health department. Reporting enables appropriate public health follow-up for patients, helps identify outbreaks, and provides a better understanding of Washington morbidity (illness) patterns. Both lab-confirmed and clinical diagnoses are reportable within the time intervals specified below.

**All personal information is kept confidential when reports are made.

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Diseases To Be Reported Immediately

Some diseases that are required to be reported immediately include:

  • Anthrax
  • Any cluster of illness
  • Any unusual case
  • Botulism (food borne)
  • Diphtheria
  • Outbreaks of food borne illness
  • Marine Intoxications (paralytic shellfish poisoning)
  • Plague
  • SARS

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Diseases To Be Reported Within 24 Hours

Diseases that need to be reported within 24 hours include:

  • Food borne illness
  • Haemophilus influenzae
  • Measles (rubeola)
  • Meningococcal disease
  • Pesticide poisoning
  • Polio
  • Rabies (human or animal)
  • Rubella
  • Vibrio(i) infection
  • West Nile Fever

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Diseases To Be Reported Within One Week

Some disease that need to be reported within one week are:

  • Congenital rubella syndrome
  • Hantavirus
  • Lead poisoning
  • Leptospirosis
  • PID (acute, nongonococcal)
  • Q fever
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  • Syphilis (non-infectious)
  • Taenia solium / cysticercosis
  • Tetanus

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