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Health Act 1956

Infectious and notifiable diseases

74: Health practitioners to give notice of cases of notifiable disease

You could also call this:

"Doctors and nurses must report certain serious diseases to health authorities as soon as possible."

If you are a health practitioner, you must tell the medical officer of health if you think someone has a notifiable disease. You must do this as soon as possible and use the correct form. If the disease is infectious, you must also tell the people looking after the patient and the people in charge of the place where the patient is.

If you find out someone who has died had a notifiable disease, you must tell the medical officer of health. You must not tell anyone the patient's name or other personal details if the disease is listed in section C of Part 1 of the Schedule 1, unless a medical officer of health asks you to. Identifying information includes a person's name, address, and where they work or go to school.

If you do not follow these rules, you can get in trouble with the law. You can look at section 74AA for more information about this.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM307220.

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Part 3Infectious and notifiable diseases

74Health practitioners to give notice of cases of notifiable disease

  1. Every health practitioner who has reason to believe that any person professionally attended by him is suffering from a notifiable disease or from any sickness of which the symptoms create a reasonable suspicion that it is a notifiable disease shall—

  2. in the case of a notifiable infectious disease, forthwith inform the occupier of the premises and every person nursing or in immediate attendance on the patient of the infectious nature of the disease and the precautions to be taken, and forthwith give notices in the prescribed form to the medical officer of health, and, if the disease is specified in section A of Part 1 of Schedule 1, to the local authority of the district:
    1. in the case of a notifiable disease other than a notifiable infectious disease, forthwith give notice in the prescribed form to the medical officer of health.

      1. Repealed

      2. Every health practitioner who by post-mortem examination or otherwise becomes aware that any deceased person was affected with a notifiable disease shall forthwith give notice in the prescribed form to the medical officer of health.

      3. A health practitioner who gives notice of a notifiable disease under subsection (1) or (3) must not disclose identifying information of the patient or deceased person if the disease is specified in section C of Part 1 of Schedule 1.

      4. Despite subsection (3A), a medical officer of health may require a health practitioner to disclose identifying information of the patient or deceased person if disclosure of the identifying information is necessary to respond effectively to a public health risk.

      5. In this section and section 74AA, identifying information, in relation to a person, means—

      6. the person’s name, address, and place of work or education; and
        1. any other information required by regulations made under this Act.

          1. Every health practitioner commits an offence against this Act who fails to comply with the requirements of this section.

          2. Repealed
          Notes
          • Section 74 heading: amended, on , by section 7(1) of the Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 35).
          • Section 74(1): amended, on , by section 7(2) of the Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 35).
          • Section 74(1)(a): amended, on , by section 7(3) of the Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 35).
          • Section 74(1)(a): amended, on , by section 2(1) of the Health Amendment Act 1962 (1962 No 76).
          • Section 74(2): repealed, on , by section 20(1) of the Health Amendment Act 1993 (1993 No 24).
          • Section 74(3): amended, on , by section 7(2) of the Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 35).
          • Section 74(3A): inserted, on , by section 7(4) of the Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 35).
          • Section 74(3B): inserted, on , by section 7(4) of the Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 35).
          • Section 74(3C): inserted, on , by section 7(4) of the Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 35).
          • Section 74(4): amended, on , by section 7(2) of the Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016 (2016 No 35).
          • Section 74(5): repealed, on , by section 3(3) of the Health and Disability Services Amendment Act 1995 (1995 No 84).