Physicians and laboratories are mandated to report a nunber of medicai illnesses. The mai’purpose in reporting inncsses is both epicremiologic as wen as to rnterrupt the spread of certain communicable diseases. The illnesses that are alrval.s reportable include AIDS, q’philis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and all ofthe childhood diseases such as measlcs, mumos. rubella’ and pertussis. Thc list of other reportable discases is extensiye. These diseases are reportable by sonrebody, not necessarily the physician.
Phvsicians are always legally protected for participating in partner notification. In gcneral, the health department performs the majority of contact_tracing events as well as notilying those that have been ilr close contact of the possib ity of infection. 'fhe name of the so,.rrce patient is always protected.
Partner notification exists for diseases such as HIV/AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea, and tubercu losis. In addition, the health department can incarcerate patients with tuberculosis to pre r,ent the spread of diseasc. If a patient won,t tell his or her partner, then you must ansu/er that you must follow your duty to report. If the source patiert still won,t tell his or her partner, you are within your legar right to tell the innocent third party. partner notification and reportable illnesses arc an example of onc of the few times that thc patrent s autonomy can be superseded because ofthe necessity ofprotecting othcrs. My right to autonomy ends rvhere your safety begins. I have an absolute right to privacy, except when my restaurant ser’es food infected with sarmonera, and then the patient’s rights toautonomy become ress important than protecting others fron harm.
Tuberculosis has special reporting and public health issues. In additron to doing contact tracing ofthe contacts in order to do ppD testing, there is the speciar rssue of incarceration for tuberculosis. Patients with tubercurosis should be isolated for about two weeks, which is approximately the amount of time that is takes for sputum to become negative for acid-fast bacilli lf a patient refuses to take antituberculosis therapy, physicians have the option of lrcarcerating the patient to prevent them from spreading the disease. This is only for those who stiJl have positive stains of their sputum for acid_fait bacilli. Incarceration for tuberculosis is not the same thing as being arrested. It has nothing to d0with the criminal-justice system. The incarceration o…ur,-in a hosprtal not in a prison or jail. You cannot force-feed tuberculosis medications, but you can prevent people from walking at their leisure in the community to spread disease. Incarceratton is a last resort and is.only used after a’other options have been exhausted in terms ot having discussions with the patient and offering directly observecl therapy at home