Introduction to Disease Reporting in
California
Under the
California Code of
Regulations, Title 17 (Section
2500), public health professionals,
medical providers and others are
mandated to report approximately 85
diseases or conditions to their
local health department.
Additionally, anyone in charge of
any type of school is also required
to report these diseases (Section
2508), as are Laboratories (Section
2505).
Why report?
The primary objectives of disease
surveillance are:
- protecting the health of the
public;
- to determine the extent of
morbidity within the community;
- to evaluate risk of
transmission;
- to intervene rapidly when
appropriate.
Delay or failure to report:
Delay or failure to report
communicable diseases has
contributed to secondary
transmission in the past. Under the
California Code of Regulations,
Title 16, (Section 1364.10), failure
to report a communicable disease is
a misdemeanor punishable by a fine
of not less than $50 nor more than
$1,000, or by imprisonment for a
term of not more than 90 days, or
both. Each day the violation is
continued is a separate offense. The
Medical Board of California has made
failure to report in a timely manner
a citable offense under
California Business and Professions
Code (Section 2234),
"Unprofessional Conduct."
