WAC 246-101-301   Notifiable conditions and health care facilities.  This section describes the conditions that Washington's health care facilities must notify public health authorities of on a statewide basis. The board finds that the conditions in Table HF-1 of this section are notifiable for the prevention and control of communicable and noninfectious diseases and conditions.

     (1) Health care facilities shall notify public health authorities of cases that occur in their facilities of the conditions identified in Table HF-1 of this section following the requirements in WAC 246-101-305, 246-101-310, 246-101-315, and 246-101-320. This is not intended to require health care facilities to confirm the absence of conditions listed in Table HF-1 in facility patients.

     (2) Health care facilities may choose to assume the notification for their health care providers for conditions designated in Table HF-1 of this section.

     (3) Health care facilities may not assume the reporting requirements of laboratories that are components of the health care facility.

     (4) Local health officers may require additional conditions to be notifiable within the local health officer's jurisdiction.


Table HF-1 (Conditions Notifiable by Health Care Facilities)

Notifiable Condition Time Frame for Notification Notifiable to Local Health Department Notifiable to State Department of Health
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Within 3 business days   √
Animal Bites (when human exposure to rabies is suspected) Immediately √  
Anthrax Immediately √  
Arboviral Disease (acute disease only including, but not limited to, West Nile virus, eastern and western equine encephalitis, dengue, St. Louis encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, and Powassan) Within 3 business days √  
Asthma, occupational Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Abdominal Wall Defects (inclusive of gastroschisis and omphalocele) Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Autism Spectrum Disorders Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Cerebral Palsy Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Down Syndrome Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Alcohol Related Birth Defects Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Hypospadias Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Limb reductions Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Neural Tube Defects (inclusive of anencephaly and spina bifida) Monthly   √
Birth Defects – Oral Clefts (inclusive of cleft lip with/without cleft palate) Monthly   √
Botulism (foodborne, infant, and wound) Immediately √  
Brucellosis (Brucella species) Within 24 hours √  
Burkholderia mallei (Glanders) and pseudomallei (Melioidosis) Immediately √  
Cancer (See chapter 246-430 WAC) Monthly   √
Chancroid Within 3 business days √  
Chlamydia trachomatis infection Within 3 business days √  
Cholera Immediately √  
Cryptosporidiosis Within 3 business days √  
Cyclosporiasis Within 3 business days √  
Diphtheria Immediately √  
Disease of suspected bioterrorism origin Immediately √  
Domoic acid poisoning Immediately √  
E. coli – Refer to "Shiga toxin-producing E. coli" Immediately √  
Emerging condition with outbreak potential Immediately √  
Giardiasis Within 3 business days √  
Gonorrhea Within 3 business days √  
Granuloma inguinale Within 3 business days √  
Gunshot wounds (nonfatal) Monthly   √
Haemophilus influenzae (invasive disease, children under age 5) Immediately √  
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome Within 24 hours √  
Hepatitis A (acute infection) Within 24 hours √  
Hepatitis B (acute infection) Within 24 hours √  
Hepatitis B surface antigen + pregnant women Within 3 business days √  
Hepatitis B (chronic infection) – Initial diagnosis, and previously unreported prevalent cases Monthly √  
Hepatitis C – Acute infection Within 3 business days √  
Hepatitis C – Chronic infection Monthly √  
Hepatitis D (acute and chronic infection) Within 3 business days √  
Hepatitis E (acute infection) Within 24 hours √  
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection Within 3 business days √  
Influenza, novel or unsubtypable strain Immediately √  
Influenza-associated death (laboratory confirmed) Within 3 business days √  
Legionellosis Within 24 hours √  
Leptospirosis Within 24 hours √  
Listeriosis Within 24 hours √  
Lyme Disease Within 3 business days √  
Lymphogranuloma venereum Within 3 business days √  
Malaria Within 3 business days √  
Measles (rubeola) – Acute disease only Immediately √  
Meningococcal disease (invasive) Immediately √  
Monkeypox Immediately √  
Mumps (acute disease only) Within 24 hours √  
Outbreak of suspected foodborne origin Immediately √  
Outbreak of suspected waterborne origin Immediately √  
Paralytic shellfish poisoning Immediately √  
Pertussis Within 24 hours √  
Pesticide poisoning (hospitalized, fatal, or cluster) Immediately   √
Plague Immediately √  
Poliomyelitis Immediately √  
Prion disease Within 3 business days √  
Psittacosis Within 24 hours √  
Q Fever Within 24 hours √  
Rabies (Confirmed Human or Animal) Immediately √  
Rabies, suspected human exposure (suspected human rabies exposures due to a bite from or other exposure to an animal that is suspected of being infected with rabies) Immediately √  
Relapsing fever (borreliosis) Within 24 hours √  
Rubella, acute disease only (including congenital rubella syndrome) Immediately √  
Salmonellosis Within 24 hours √  
SARS Immediately √  
Serious adverse reactions to immunizations Within 3 business days √  
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections (enterohemorrhagic E. coli including, but not limited to, E. coli O157:H7) Immediately √  
Shigellosis Within 24 hours √  
Smallpox Immediately √  
Syphilis Within 3 business days √  
Tetanus Within 3 business days √  
Trichinosis Within 3 business days √  
Tuberculosis Immediately √  
Tularemia Immediately √  
Vaccinia transmission Immediately √  
Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (not to include vancomycin-intermediate) Within 24 hours √  
Varicella-associated death Within 3 business days √  
Vibriosis Within 24 hours √  
Viral hemorrhagic fever Immediately √  
Yellow fever Immediately √  
Yersiniosis Within 24 hours √  
Other rare diseases of public health significance Within 24 hours √  
Unexplained critical illness or death Within 24 hours √  

(√) Indicates which agency should receive case and suspected case reports.




[Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050. 11-02-065, § 246-101-301, filed 1/4/11, effective 2/4/11. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050, 70.24.125. 05-03-055, § 246-101-301, filed 1/11/05, effective 2/11/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.20.050, 43.70.545, 70.24.125, 70.28.010 and 70.104.030. 00-23-120, § 246-101-301, filed 11/22/00, effective 12/23/00.]