What diseases must a doctor report directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rather than the state or local health department?

Reporting Diseases to the CDC vs. State/Local Health Departments

Physicians should report all nationally notifiable diseases to their state or local health departments, not directly to the CDC. 1

Standard Reporting Process

• In the United States, disease reporting requirements are mandated by state laws or regulations, with the list of reportable diseases varying by state 1
• Healthcare providers are legally required to report cases of notifiable diseases to their state or local health departments, not directly to the CDC 1
• State health departments then report these cases to the CDC's National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) 1
• This two-step reporting process (provider → state/local health department → CDC) is the standard protocol for all nationally notifiable diseases 1

Role of State and Local Health Departments

• State and local health departments serve as the primary collection point for all disease reports from healthcare providers 1
• These departments have the authority to:
  • Counsel individual patients 1
  • Conduct outbreak investigations 1
  • Assist with contact notification 1
  • Provide follow-up for patients involved in disease outbreaks 1
• Health departments also provide disease prevention information to the public and handle media inquiries 1

Role of the CDC

• The CDC acts as a common repository for collecting data on nationally notifiable diseases from states and territories 1
• The CDC publishes provisional data weekly in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and final data annually in the "Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States" 1
• The CDC does not receive direct reports from individual healthcare providers 1

Importance of Reporting

• Disease reporting is essential for:
  • Monitoring trends 1
  • Detecting unusual disease occurrences 1
  • Evaluating intervention effectiveness 1
  • Planning and evaluating disease prevention programs 2
  • Ensuring appropriate medical therapy 2
  • Detecting common-source outbreaks 2

Common Pitfalls in Disease Reporting

• Incomplete reporting is a significant issue, with reporting completeness varying from 9% to 99% depending on the disease 3
• Reporting completeness is generally higher (79%) for AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis compared to other diseases (49%) 3
• Healthcare providers may be unaware of their legal obligation to report certain diseases 4
• Electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) has improved timeliness and completeness of reporting, but implementation varies by jurisdiction 5

Special Considerations

• Healthcare workers, food handlers, and childcare providers with certain infectious diseases may require follow-up testing before returning to work 1
• If an outbreak is suspected, early reporting to local health departments can lead to prompt investigations and prevention of additional illnesses 1
• For several enteric bacterial organisms, public health surveillance depends on subtyping clinical isolates in state public health laboratories 1

Remember that reporting requirements may change over time, so healthcare providers should regularly check with their state or local health departments for the most current reporting requirements 1.