Notifiable Disease Reporting

“The Georgia Department of Public Health, under the legal authority of OCGA 31-12-2 and with the approval of the Board of Human Resources, has designated certain diseases and conditions notifiable. The purpose of reportable disease surveillance is to:

1. identify in a timely way any diseases or conditions that may require immediate public health intervention and follow up;
2. detect changing trends or patterns in disease occurrence;
3. identify areas or communities that require special public health response as a result of changes in disease patterns; and
4. assess and evaluate control and prevention interventions.

In Georgia, public health surveillance is conducted on more than 50 diseases and conditions. The data are collected by local and state health agencies who are responsible for analyzing, interpreting and disseminating the information to "those who need to know" for administrative, program planning, and decision making purposes.”

Notifiable Disease Reporting Poster 
All Georgia physicians, laboratories and other health care providers are required by law to report patients with the following conditions to their County Health Department or District Health Office. Cases may also be reported to the Acute Disease Section of the Epidemiology Branch. Both lab-confirmed and clinical diagnoses are reportable within the time interval specified below. Reporting enables appropriate public health follow-up for your patients, helps identify outbreaks, and provides a better understanding of disease trends in Georgia.

Georgia Notifiable Disease Report Form 

How to Report

HIV/AIDS

• For persons <13 years of age at diagnosis, complete CDC form 50.42B
• For persons >13 years of age at diagnosis, complete the Georgia Adult HIV/AIDS Confidential Case Report Form
• Mail completed form in double envelopes marked CONFIDENTIAL to:
  Georgia Department of Public Health, Epidemiology Section
  P.O. Box 2107, Atlanta, GA 30301
  

STD

• Complete a Notifiable Disease Report Form and
  • Mail in an envelope marked CONFIDENTIAL to the District Health Office, or
  • Fax to the District Health Office

TB and latent TB infection in children < 5 yrs. old

• Complete a Notifiable Disease Report Form or report in SENDSS Main Form if an approved TB user in SENDSS
• For District TB Coordinators and county health department TB nurses that are TB users in SENDSS, fill out the Report of Verified Case of Tuberculosis in SENDSS

Benign brain and central nervous system tumors

• Report cases to the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry (GCCC)

Birth Defects

• Report cases to the Georgia Birth Defects Reporting and Information System (GBDRIS)

Cancer

• Report cases to the Georgia Comprehensive Cancer Registry (GCCC)

Hearing Impairment

• Report cases to the Children 1st Program

Maternal Death

• Report cases to Maternal and Child Epidemiology

All other Notifiable Diseases

To Report Immediately

• Call the District Health Office
• Call 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584)

To Report Within 7 Days

• Report cases electronically through the State Electronic Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (SENDSS)
• Complete a Notifiable Disease Report Form and
  • Mail in an envelope marked CONFIDENTIAL to the District Health Office, or
  • Fax to the District Health Office

Problems Reporting

• HIV/AIDS
  • Call 1-800-827-9769
• All other Notifiable Diseases
  • See Georgia Notifiable Disease Report Form
  • Call your County Health Department or District Health Office
  • Call the Division of Public Health at 404-657-2588

Diseases and Conditions

§ Potential agent of bioterrorism

1. Invasive = isolated from blood, bone, CSF, joint, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, or pleural fluid
2. Birth defects are reportable to the Georgia Birth Defects Reporting and Information System (GBDRIS).
3. HIV/AIDS are reportable to Georgia Department of Public Health, Epidemiology Branch
4. HBsAg+ = hepatitis B surface antigen positive
5. L. monocytogenes isolated from any site.
6. During pregnancy, or within one year after birth, infant mortality is reportable to Vital Records
7. Resulting in severe illness or death
8. STDs are reportable to the District Health Office