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Jan
20

Disease reporting requirements for King County health care professionals

In Washington state, health care professionals, health care facilities, laboratories, veterinarians, food service establishments, child day care facilities, and schools are legally required to notify public health authorities at their local health jurisdiction of suspected or confirmed cases of selected diseases or conditions. These are referred to as notifiable conditions.

For the most up to date list of conditions that healthcare providers are required to report to Public Health, please refer to this Washington State Department of Health Notifiable Conditions reporting poster for health care providers/facilities (PDF). Laboratories should refer to a separate Laboratory Notifiable Conditions reporting poster (PDF).

Where to report a notifiable condition in King County

  • AIDS/HIV
    206-263-2000
    Download the HIV/AIDS Case Reporting Form (108 KB)
    Health care providers diagnosing or treating a patient with HIV or AIDS must complete a case report form as mandated by law. The form is submitted to Public Health at the address printed on the form. Please contact our staff at 206-263-2410 with any questions on completing this form. You may fax the form to our secure fax number at 206-744-0403.
  • Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection
    HCV is now reportable by health care providers and institutions (not laboratories) in order to define the prevalence of disease locally, and to provide data necessary to obtain and allocate resources for HCV prevention activities. Public Health will classify cases as confirmed, probable or possible based on the following criteria.
  • Tuberculosis (TB)
    206-744-4579
  • Other communicable diseases
    206-296-4774
  • Automated 24-hour reporting line for conditions not immediately notifiable
    206-296-4782
  • Fax number for conditions not immediately notifiable (Please note, the fax machine is located in a secured and locked room)
    206-296-4803
  • Download the Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Case Reporting Form (1.2 MB)
    Completed STI Case Report forms can be faxed to 206-744-5622 or mailed to:

    Public Health Sexual Health Clinic
    Ninth and Jefferson Building
    908 Jefferson St, 11th Floor
    Seattle, WA
    Phone: 206-744-3590
    For assistance with the STI Case Report Form, you may call 206-744-6594

Reporting requirements for health care providers

Washington Administrative Codes:

Conditions notifiable to the Washington State Department of Health

The following conditions should be reported by health care providers directly to the Washington State Department of Health:

  • Birth defects (alcohol related, autism spectrum disorders, and cerebral palsy, notifiable within 30 days):
    360-236-3533
  • Pesticide poisoning (hospitalized, fatal, or cluster, report immediately):
    1-800-222-1222
  • Pesticide poisoning (all other-report within 3 days):
    1-800-222-1222

Facilities only:

  • Birth defects - Abdominal wall defects (inclusive of gastroschisis DOH and omphalocele)
  • Birth defects (Down syndrome, Hypospadias and Limb reductions)
  • Birth defects - Neural tube defects (inclusive of anencephaly DO and spina bifida)
  • Birth defects - Oral clefts (inclusive of cleft lip with/without cleft palate)
  • Gunshot wounds (nonfatal)

Conditions notifiable to the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I)

The following conditions should be reported by health care providers at 360-902-5669:

  • Asthma, occupational
  • Hypersensitivity pneumonitis, occupational
  • Silicosis

Requirements for health care facilities, schools, child care programs, veterinarians, and food service establishments

Washington Administrative Codes for the responsibilities of:

What information to include in a report

When reporting a notifiable condition please supply as much of the following information as possible. Providing this information with the case report can save valuable time:

  • Patient's name
  • Date of birth
  • Race
  • Gender
  • Home phone
  • Work phone
  • Address
  • Disease
  • Method of diagnosis
  • Date of onset
  • Date of diagnosis
  • Lab test results
  • Treatment given
  • Possible source
  • Attending physician
  • Physician's phone number
  • Additional comments
  • Name/title of person making report
  • Phone number of person making report
  • Hospital admission/ER visit date
  • Discharge date


For hepatitis reports, please also include the following if available:

  • Liver transaminases (ALT, AST) and bilirubin
  • Hepatitis screen results (including positive and negative tests for other causes of viral hepatitis)
  • Risk factors
  • Pregnancy status

Reporting requirements for laboratories

For an updated list of conditions that laboratories are required to report to Public Health, please refer to the WA State Dept. of Health's Laboratory Notifiable Conditions reporting poster.

When reporting a notifiable condition please supply as much of the following information as possible. Providing this information with the case report can save valuable time:

  • Washington Administrative Codes:
    Notifiable conditions and laboratories (WAC 246-101-201)
    Duties of the laboratory director (WAC 246-101-205)
  • List of notifiable conditions for laboratories (PDF)
    Please note that some of the conditions on the list are notifiable directly to the Washington Department of Health.

    Condition Notifiable to
    Blood lead level (elevated > 5µg/dl) (report within 2 days) DOH Lead Program: 360-236-4280
    Blood lead level (non-elevated > 5µg/dl) (report in 30 days) DOH Lead Program: 360-236-4280
  • Submit specimens to:
    Washington State Public Health Laboratories
    Washington State Department of Health
    1610 NE 150th St
    Seattle, WA 98155
    Phone: 206-418-5400
  • Report TB isolates and antibiotic sensitivities to:
    Washington State Public Health
    STD/TB Section
    7211 Cleanwater Lane, Building 14
    PO Box 47837
    Olympia, WA 98504-7837
    Phone: 360-236-3473
    Fax: 360-236-3405

Related Topics

Diseases and conditions

An A to Z listing of diseases and conditions.
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