Licensed practitioners are required to report the occurrence -- or suspected occurrence with the exception of cancer, congenital anomalies, and HIV infection -- of a broad range of "diseases of public health significance." (FL Admin Code 64D-3.002)

The report must be made to the local county health department, within 72 hours of recognition, by telephone or other electronic means, or in writing.

Certain diseases, indicated by a "(T)" suffix in the list below, must be reported immediately by telephone. All telephone reports must be followed within 72 hours by a subsequent written report. (64D-3.002)

The list includes:

• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS);
• animal bite to humans by a potentially rabid animal, resulting in a county health department or state health office recommendation for post-exposure prophylaxis, or by a nonhuman primate;\
• Anthrax (T);
• Botulism (T);
• Brucellosis;
• Campylobacteriosis;
• cancer (except non melanoma skin cancer);
• Chancroid;
• Chlamydia trachomatis;
• Ciguatera;
• congenital anomalies;
• Cryptosporidiosis;
• Cyclosporiasis;
• Dengue;
• Diphtheria (T);
• Ehrlichiosis;
• Encephalitis;
• enteric disease due to Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (T);
• enteric disease due to other pathogenic Escherichia coli (including nterotoxigenic, enteroinvasive, enteropathogenic, enterohemorrhagic, and enteroaggregative strains);
• Giardiasis (acute);
• Gonorrhea;
• Granuloma Inguinale;
• Haemophilus influenzae, invasive disease;
• Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy);
• Hantavirus Infection (T);
• Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome;
• Hemorrhagic Fever (T);
• Hepatitis, viral A (T), B, C, non-A non-B, and other including unspecified;
• Hepatitis, viral, Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg)-positive in a pregnant woman or a child < or = 24 months of age;
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV);
• Lead Poisoning;
• Legionellosis;
• Leptospirosis;
• Listeriosis (T);
• Lyme Disease;
• Lymphogranuloma Venereum;
• Malaria;
• Measles (T);
• Meningitis, bacterial and mycotic;
• Meningococcal Disease (T);
• Mercury Poisoning;
• Mumps;
• Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (T);
• Pertussis;
• pesticide-related Illness and Injury;
• Plague (T);
• Poliomyelitis (T);
• Psittacosis;
• Q Fever;
• Rabies;
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, R. rickettsii;
• Rubella, including congenital;
• Salmonellosis;
• Shigellosis;
• Smallpox (T);
• Staphylococcus aureus, glycopeptide (vancomycin) intermediate (GISA/VISA, MIC=8ug/ml) (T);
• Staphylococcus aureus, glycopeptide (vancomycin) resistant (GRSA/VRSA, MIC= >32mg/ml) (T);
• Streptococcal Disease, invasive, Group A;
• Streptococcus pneumoniae, invasive disease;
• Syphilis;
• Tetanus;
• Toxoplasmosis, acute;
• Trichinosis;
• Tuberculosis;
• Tularemia (T);
• Typhoid Fever;
• Vibrio cholerae (T);
• Vibrio Infections;
• Yellow Fever (T); and
• any disease outbreak in a community, a hospital, or other institution, or a foodborne, or waterborne outbreak (T).

As usual with reports for public health purposes, the information provided is exempt from the disclosure requirements of Florida's public records access statutes (see FL Stat 119.07).

See also:

• Florida preemption (HIPAA)

Last modified: 15-May-2005 [RC]