SECTION 97.5. Where To Report a Condition or Isolate; Where To Submit an Isolate

(a) Humans.

(1) A physician, dentist, veterinarian, chiropractor, reporting officer of a hospital, person in charge of a hospital laboratory (if the laboratory reports independently), person permitted by law to attend a pregnant woman during gestation or at the delivery of an infant, or school authority shall report to the local health authority where the office, clinic, hospital, or school is located. If there is no local health authority appointed for the jurisdiction where the office, clinic, hospital, or school is located, the report shall be made to the Department of State Health Services (department) regional director. Public health emergencies shall be reported to the department's central office if the local health authority or the department's regional director is not immediately accessible.

(2) The administrative officer of a clinical laboratory, blood bank, mobile unit, or other facility shall report a condition or submit an isolate as follows:

(A) If the laboratory examination was requested by a physician, notice shall be sent to the local health authority for the jurisdiction where the physician's office is located, to the department's regional director for the jurisdiction where the physician's office is located if no local health authority exists, or to the department's central office when the regional director or local health authority are unknown to the laboratory.

(B) If the laboratory examination was not requested by a physician, notice shall be sent to the local health authority for the jurisdiction where the laboratory is located, to the department's regional director for the jurisdiction where the laboratory is located if no local health authority has been appointed, or to the department's central office when the regional director or local health authority are unknown to the laboratory.

(C) All diseases requiring submission of cultures in §97.3(a)(4) of this title (relating to What Condition to Report and What Isolates to Report or Submit) shall be submitted to the Department of State Health Services, Laboratory Services Section, 1100 West 49th Street, Austin, Texas 78756-3199 or other public health laboratory as designated by the Department of State Health Services.

(3) Sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and AIDS shall be reported in accordance with Subchapter F of this chapter (relating to Sexually Transmitted Diseases Including Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)).

(b) Animals.

(1) Reportable conditions in animals shall be reported to either the appropriate Department of State Health Services regional zoonosis control office or the Zoonosis Control Branch office in Austin.

(2) Conditions in animals that are reportable to both the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Animal Health Commission can be reported to either one of the agencies, which will forward the information to the other agency.

Source Note: The provisions of this §97.5 adopted to be effective March 16, 1994, 19 TexReg 1453; amended to be effective March 5, 1998, 23 TexReg 1954; amended to be effective March 26, 2000, 25 TexReg 2343; amended to be effective June 5, 2007, 32 TexReg 2997; amended to be effective December 20, 2012, 37 TexReg 9777; amended to be effective April 3, 2016, 41 TexReg 2317