Notifiable diseases (I) Flashcards
What do we do if there is a notifiable disease as a doctor?
The ‘Proper Officer’ at the Local Health Protection Team needs to be notified by the medical practitioner
They in turn will notify the Health Protection Agency on a weekly basis
When should you notify about a notifiable disease?
Immediately on diagnosis of a suspected notifiable disease, do NOT wait for laboratory confirmation of a suspected infection or contamination before notification
When must urgent vs routine notifiable diseases be notified?
- urgent cases must be notified by a phone call within 24h
- routine cases must be notified in writing within 3 days
List of currently notifiable diseases.
- acute encephalitis
- acute infectious hepatitis
- acute meningitis
- acute poliomyelitis
- anthrax
- botulism
- brucellosis
- cholera
- COVID-19
- diphtheria
- enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid fever)
- food poisoning
- haemolytic uraemic syndrome
- infectious bloody diarrhoea
- invasive group A streptococcal disease
- Legionnaire’s disease
- leprosy
- malaria
- measles
- meningococcal septicaemia
- monkeypox
- mumps
- plague
- rabies
- rubella
- severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
- scarlet fever
- smallpox
- tetanus
- tuberculosis
- typhus
- viral haemorrhagic fever
- whooping cough
- yellow fever
Which notifiable diseases are urgent?
- acute infectious hepatitis
- acute poliomyelitis
- anthrax
- botulism
- cholera
- diphtheria
- enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid fever)
- haemolytic uraemic syndrome
- infectious bloody diarrhoea
- invasive group A streptococcal disease
- Legionnaire’s disease
- measles
- meningococcal septicaemia
- plague
- rabies
- severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
- smallpox
- viral haemorrhagic fever
What is a notable exception from the list of notifiable diseases?
HIV (due to historic reasons)
Which notifiable disease is urgent if suspected bacterial infection, otherwise routine?
Acute meningitis
Which notifiable diseases are routine; urgent if UK-acquired? (3)
- brucellosis
- malaria
- yellow fever
Which notifiable disease is routine; urgent if part of cluster or outbreak?
Food poisoning
Which notifiable disease is routine; urgent if associated with injecting drug use?
Tetanus
Which notifiable disease is routine, urgent if healthcare worker or suspected cluster or multi-drug resistant?
TB
Which notifiable disease is urgent if diagnosed in acute phase, routine if later diagnosis?
Whooping cough
Which notifiable diseases are routine? (6)
- acute encephalitis
- leprosy
- mumps
- rubella
- scarlet fever
- typhus
