Notifiable disease

Definition

A notifiable disease is a disease that, by law, must be reported to public health authorities upon diagnosis. This helps monitor and control the spread of diseases.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Notifiable diseases are crucial for public health surveillance and outbreak detection.
2. The list of notifiable diseases can vary by country and is determined by public health agencies.
3. Timely reporting of notifiable diseases is essential for initiating control measures and preventing outbreaks.
4. Healthcare providers, laboratories, and sometimes schools are typically required to report cases of notifiable diseases.
5. Common examples of notifiable diseases include tuberculosis, measles, and COVID-19.

Review Questions

• Why is it important to report notifiable diseases to public health authorities?
• Who is typically responsible for reporting cases of notifiable diseases?
• Can you name three examples of notifiable diseases?

Related terms

Surveillance: The continuous systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data needed for planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice.

Outbreak: An occurrence in which the number of cases of a particular disease exceeds the expected number in a given area or among a specific group of people over a particular period.

Epidemiology: The study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why.