Reportable Diseases FAQs

Why do I need to report communicable diseases and notifiable conditions?

• Several Texas laws require that certain conditions be reported to the state or local health department.
  • The Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Act (Health & Safety Code, Chapter 81)
  • Article 97, Title 25, Texas Administrative Code
• All reports and sources of reports are strictly confidential.

Who is responsible for reporting communicable diseases? 

• Physicians, dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors
• Hospitals and hospital laboratories
• School authorities, including a superintendent, principal, teacher, school health official or counselor
• Any person having knowledge of a suspected reportable condition

How long can I wait to report?

• The sooner a disease is reported, the better. Timely reports enable:
  • Early outbreak detection
  • Identification of risk factors
  • Intervention to interrupt spread of disease
  • Implementation and assessment of control factors
  • Determination of extent of morbidity/mortality
  • Disseminating of information
  • Planning for the future
• Some diseases and conditions are immediately reportable while others are ten (10) working days.
• Please refer to the Texas Notifiable Conditions website for specific information.

What is reportable? 

• Confirmed or suspected cases of the following and any outbreaks, exotic disease, or unusual group expression of illness, for a listing go to: Texas Notifiable Conditions
• Laboratories, blood banks, mobile units and other facilities in which a laboratory examination of a blood specimen is made are required to report patients with a CD4+ T lymphocyte cell count below 200 cells per micro-liter of CD4+ T lymphocyte percentage less than 14%