Section 7.27.007. Reporting by laboratories.

	(a)  An infectious agent listed in this subsection constitutes a public health emergency requiring immediate reporting. A public, private, military, hospital, or other laboratory performing serologic, immunologic, microscopic, biochemical, or cultural examinations or tests in this state or on samples obtained within this state shall immediately report evidence of human infection caused by the following agents by telephone directly to a public health agent in the department when the infectious agent is identified or suspected by the laboratory. The following infectious agents shall be reported under this section:  
		(1) Bacillus anthracis;  
		(2) Burkholderia mallei;  
		(3) Burkholderia pseudomailei;  
		(4) Clostridium botulinum or botulinum toxin;  
		(5) Corynebacterium diphtheriae;  
		(6) Francisella tularensis;  
		(7) hemorrhagic fever viruses, including dengue;  
		(8) influenza virus, suspected novel strains;  
		(9) Neisseria meningitidis;  
		(10) poliovirus;  
		(11) rabies virus;  
		(12) rubella virus;  
		(13) rubeola (measles) virus;  
		(14) severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus;  
		(15) variola (smallpox) virus;  
		(16) yellow fever virus;  
		(17) Yersinia pestis.  
	(b)  In addition to the immediate reporting requirements of (a) of this section, a public, private, military, hospital, or other laboratory performing serologic, immunologic, microscopic, biochemical, or cultural examinations or tests in this state or on samples obtained within this state shall report evidence of human infection caused by the following agents to the department not later than five working days after the examination or test is performed:  
		(1) antibiotic-resistant organisms of national significance, including vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae;  
		(2) arboviruses, including West Nile virus;  
		(3) Bordetella pertussis;  
		(4) Borrelia burgdorferi;  
		(5) Brucella species;  
		(6) Campylobacter species;   
		(7) Chlamydophila psittaci;  
		(8) Chlamydia trachomatis;  
		(9) Coxiella burnetii;  
		(10) Cryptosporidium species;  
		(11) Cyclospora;  
		(12) Diphyllobothrium species;  
		(13) Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC);  
		(14) Echinococcus species;  
		(15) Giardia species;  
		(16) Haemophilus ducreyi;  
		(17) Haemophilus influenzae from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(18) Hantavirus;  
		(19) hepatitis A, B, or C virus;  
		(20) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); tests that shall be reported include  
			(A) tests confirming human immunodeficiency virus infection;  
			(B) tests used to establish the presence of human immunodeficiency virus, including serologic, virologic, nucleic acid (DNA or RNA), or other viral load detection test results, both detectable and undetectable; and  
			(C) CD4+ (T4) lymphocyte counts and CD4+ (T4) percent of total lymphocytes results of any value;  
		(21) influenza virus;  
		(22) Legionella species;  
		(23) Leptospira species;  
		(24) Listeria monocytogenes;  
		(25) mumps virus;  
		(26) Mycobacterium leprae;  
		(27) Mycobacterium tuberculosis;  
		(28) Neisseria gonorrhoeae;  
		(29) Plasmodium species;  
		(30) prions;  
		(31) Salmonella species;  
		(32) Shigella species;  
		(33) Streptococcus agalactiae from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(34) Streptococcus pneumoniae from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(35) Streptococcus pyogenes from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(36) Taenia species;  
		(37) Treponema pallidum;  
		(38) Trichinella species;  
		(39) varicella virus;  
		(40) Vibrio species;  
		(41) Yersinia enterocolitica or Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.  
	(c)  Each report must give  
		(1) the date and result of the examination or test performed;  
		(2) the name or identification code sufficient to identify the patient to the health care provider; and  
		(3) the date of birth, sex, race, and ethnicity of the patient from whom the specimen was obtained and the name and address of the health care provider for whom the examination or test was performed.  
	(d)  When acting on the basis of information received from a report made under this section, the public health agent shall first attempt to contact the health care provider for whom the examination or test was performed before contacting the patient directly.  
	(e)  A laboratory that confirms one of the pathogens in the following list shall submit isolates or aliquots of original specimens to the state public health laboratory:  
		(1) Bacillus anthracis;  
		(2) Brucella species;  
		(3) Burkholderia mallei;  
		(4) Burkholderia pseudomallei;  
		(5) Campylobacter species;  
		(6) Clostridium botulinum, the laboratory shall provide a sample of the organism and, if available, a serum, stool, emesis, food, or environmental sample;  
		(7) Clostridium tetani;  
		(8) Corynebacterium diphtheria;  
		(9) Escherichia coli, shiga-like toxin producing;  
		(10) Francisella tularensis;  
		(11) Haemophillis ducreyi;  
		(12) Haemophilus influenzae from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(13) Listeria monocytogenes;  
		(14) Mycobacterium leprae;  
		(15) Mycobacterium tuberculosis;  
		(16) Neisseria gonorrhoeae;  
		(17) Neisseria meningitidis; from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(18) Salmonella species;  
		(19) Shigella species;  
		(20) Streptococcus agalactiae from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(21) Streptococcus pneumoniae from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(22) Streptococcus pyogenes from normally sterile body fluid or site;  
		(23) Vibrio species;  
		(24) Yersinia species.  
	(f)  Upon the request of the division of the department that oversees public health, a laboratory shall submit clinical material related to an outbreak or other unusual disease not identified in this section.  

Authorities

18.05.040;18.15.355;18.15.362;18.15.370

Notes

Authority

AS 18.05.040 AS 18.15.355 AS 18.15.362 AS 18.15.370

History

Eff. 8/21/74, Register 51; am 9/20/75, Register 55; am 3/28/84, Register 89; am 1/19/96, Register 137; am 2/10/99, Register 149; am 5/30/2003, Register 166; am 8/22/2003, Register 167; am 12/29/2006, Register 180; am 5/3/2007, Register 182; am 12/29/2013, Register 208