Key Communicable Diseases of Public Health Significance and UK Legislation

Timely reporting to public health authorities of certain infections which are transmissible between individuals and/or are likely to have been acquired from a contaminated source is essential to prompt immediate action to reduce further spread. In England, Health Protection Teams (HPTs) effect health protection actions at local level. They act as the ‘proper officer’ carrying out the function of receiving notifications in relation to the statutory regulations for both attending registered medical practitioners and diagnostic laboratories (see Section 14.6 and Section 14.7). Notification to public health authorities is a legal requirement. It is critical to the control and prevention of outbreaks of communicable diseases and is an integral part of wider local and national infection surveillance. Clinical recognition is the first step and public health authorities should be notified on clinical suspicion before obtaining laboratory test results to look for causative pathogens. As soon as a notification has been made, public health risk assessment and appropriate measures can be initiated. These may include preventing others being exposed to cases or a possible source of contamination, offering chemoprophylaxis, vaccination, education, and closing down of premises. The intervention will depend on the clinical syndrome, the confirmed or presumed infectious agent involved, and any further supporting or refuting diagnostic laboratory results. Time is of the essence; there should be no delay in notifications. Health protection legislation is set out in the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010. It requires both registered medical practitioners (RMPs) and laboratories to notify cases of infection or contamination that could present a significant risk to human health, on the basis of clinical suspicion or laboratory confirmation. The medical doctor (and no other healthcare professional) attending the patient with possible or probable or confirmed infection is responsible for notification to the public health authorities.