Communicable diseases

Any medical practitioner or nurse practitioner attending a patient whom he/she knows or suspects has a notifiable communicable disease has a legal obligation to report the diagnosis to the Department of Health.

If analysis of a sample undertaken at a pathology laboratory indicates that the patient from whom the sample was taken has or had an infectious disease, the responsible pathologist of that pathology laboratory also has a legal obligation to report the diagnosis to the Department of Health.

Normally, notification is the responsibility of the medical or nurse practitioner who is in charge of the patient’s management, and who makes the diagnosis. In situations where two or more practitioners may be involved in a patient’s management and it is not clear if the case has already been notified, the case should be reported. This ensures optimal ascertainment of all cases. Duplicate checking procedures by the Department of Health will detect any multiple notifications.

For the purpose of this website, the term ‘communicable diseases’ includes infectious and venereal diseases, as defined by the Health Act 1911 .

Related prescribed conditions

Medical practitioners who diagnose a person as suffering from an episode of acute rheumatic fever, intussusception, or an adverse event following immunisation also have a legal obligation to notify the Department of Health of any such diagnosis.

A full list of the notifiable communicable diseases is provided in the section Notifiable Communicable Diseases.

Relevant legislation

The statutory requirement to notify communicable diseases is specified in the Health Act 1911 , within Parts IX, X and XI. The requirement to notify related non-infectious "prescribed conditions of health" is specified in Part IXA of the Health Act 1911 and subsidiary regulations.

Responsibility for notification

The medical practitioner (or nurse practitioner for notifiable communicable diseases) who attends the patient is responsible for notification.

Pathologists responsible for pathology laboratories where cases of notifiable communicable diseases are diagnosed are also responsible for notification.

Notification by attending medical and/or nurse practitioners and laboratories is important to ensure complete ascertainment of cases, and because the information available from the two sources is complementary.

Who must be notified

Under the Health Act 1911 , the Executive Director, Public Health must be notified. Notifications are sent to the Director of the Communicable Disease Control Directorate for cases diagnosed in the Perth metropolitan area, and to the appropriate Public Health Unit for cases diagnosed in country areas.

How to notify

 Diseases requiring urgent telephone notification:

Those diseases marked with a telephone symbol should be notified by telephone (contact details) to the Communicable Disease Control Directorate or the appropriate Regional Public Health Unit urgently (generally within a few hours of first suspicion of diagnosis). This is necessary because these diseases may require urgent public health action, including investigation to determine the source, contact tracing, and provision of immuno- or chemo-prophylaxis to contacts. Depending on circumstances, public health staff may request the doctor to send in a completed notification form by mail or fax as follow-up to the telephone notification.

In addition, telephone notification is requested where:

1. a medical practitioner is aware of two or more linked cases of probable food-borne disease; or
2. an enteric infection (e.g. salmonella or campylobacter infection) is diagnosed in a food handler, health professional or child-care worker.

Other diseases:

Those diseases or prescribed conditions that do not require urgent telephone notification can be notified by post, telephone or facsimile, preferably within 24 hours of confirmation of diagnosis.

Forms:

The information that should be notified is specified in the appropriate Department of Health Western Australia Notification Form.

For some diseases (e.g. hepatitis C, gonorrhoea, tuberculosis, meningococcal disease, pneumococcal disease) additional information such as risk factors and antibiotic sensitivities are collected subsequent to the original notification using forms specific for each disease. Public health staff coordinate collection of these enhanced surveillance data and contact doctors, laboratories and/or patients, as appropriate.

Notification forms and packages are available from:

The Communicable Disease Control Directorate on (08) 9388 4852 or your regional Public Health Unit .

The relevant notification forms can also be printed from here:

• Health Department Notification Form (PDF 228KB)
• Adverse event following immunisation notification form
• Acute rheumatic fever notification form (PDF 190KB)
• Intussusception notification form (PDF 185KB)

Communicable disease notifications should be made to:

1. For cases diagnosed in the Perth metropolitan area

The Director
Communicable Disease Control Directorate
Department of Health

PO Box 8172
Perth Business Centre WA 6849

Medical practitioners should have the notification package, which includes a pad of tear-off notification forms and pre-paid addressed envelopes.

2. For cases diagnosed outside the Perth metropolitan area

Your regional Population Health Unit .

Medical practitioners in areas outside Perth should have the notification package, which includes a pad of tear-off notification forms and pre-paid addressed envelopes specific to their region.

Adverse event following immunisation notifications should be made to:

The Secretary, ADRAC
Reply Paid 100
Woden ACT 2606

ADRAC will in turn advise the WA Department of Health of adverse event notifications for WA.

Consultation regarding adverse events following immunisations, prior to or after notification, is available from the Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Department of Health, on 9388 4863.

Acute rheumatic fever notifications should be made to:

The Kimberley Public Health Unit 
PO Box 525 
Broome WA 6725

Intussusception notifications should be made to:

The Director
Communicable Disease Control Directorate
Department of Health

PO Box 8172
Perth Business Centre WA 6849

For more information regarding notification, case management and contact tracing

In the metropolitan area, contact the Communicable Disease Control Directorate on (08) 9388 4852, or the Public Health Units .

In areas outside Perth, contact your regional Public Health Unit .

For more information regarding communicable diseases

Refer to: the Public Health website

For other information please contact the Communicable Disease Control Directorate or your regional Public Health Unit .