Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS) is reported to the Director General
of Health Services, Deputy Director General Public Health Services, Director
Quarantine, Air Port Health Officer, Port Health Officer, Epidemiologist,
Regional Epidemiologist, Divisional Director of Health Services, and Medical
Officer of Health using form I (H-544) by telephone, fax, or telegram.
Tuberculosis
is reported to the Director of the National Program for
Tuberculosis, Tuberculosis Control, and Chest Diseases using form II (H-816).
The disease should be reported immediately at the time of first suspicion
without waiting for laboratory test results or confirmatory tests. Making the
notification at the earliest possible time is of paramount importance, thus
enabling the field public health staff to start the necessary preventive and
control measures immediately.
The notification card (Notification of a Communicable Disease H-544)
should be filled with special emphasis on writing the patient's residential
address (where it is suspected the patient contacted the disease) so that the
range Public Health Inspector can trace the residence easily. The notification
card should be addressed and sent via the postal service to the medical offi-
cer of health in the area where the patient is residing in.
A medical officer notifying a suspected case should complete a
Notiication
of a Communicable Disease Form
H-544). All such cases notified are entered
in the
Ward Notification Register.
All wards should have a Ward Notification
Register. Correct patient's name and address, age and sex of the patient, dis-
ease suspected, date of notification, to whom the case is referred to, and spe-
cial remarks are included in these ward notification registers.
The completed notifications should be sent to the director/medical super-
intendent/district medical officer of the institution daily where data are
entered in an Institutional Notification Register and mailed to the Medical
Officer of Health of the relevant area. Figure 13.2 depicts Sri Lanka's process
of disease notification and reporting.
The Medical Officer of Health on receipt of the notification will enter the
data in the Notification Register of the health office and forward it to the
relevant Public Health Inspector (PHI) in the ward of which the patient is
a resident and presumably contracted the disease. The notification register
contains the following data in a table format: serial number, patient's name,
address, age, sex, disease, date of notification, notified by whom, date notifi-
cation card received, Public Health Inspector area, date notification card was
sent to the Public Health Inspector, date notification card received from the
Public Health Inspector, and further remarks.
On receipt of H-544 the Public Health Inspector enters the data in her let-
ter to the ward register and then visits the patient's household. During her
visit, she carries out a basic public health investigation of the reported case
in order to confirm or refute the disease. Upon her findings, she continues
the investigation in the community to find any additional cases and take
the necessary measures to stop disease spread in the community, including
relevant health education. Then the public health inspector completes form
