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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

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Epidemiology - Disease Surveillance

Florida Department of Health in Sumter County

Contact Information

To report a notifiable disease or condition, please call 352-569-3143 or 352-569-3115 during business hours. If it is after hours, please call 352-303-6237 to reach our on-call line. Our confidential fax number is 352-512-6555.

Resources

Health Care Practitioner Reporting Guidelines 

Reportable Disease List 

Reportable Disease Report Form 

Overview

The Florida Department of Health in Sumter County Epidemiology Program performs surveillance and investigates cases and outbreaks of reportable diseases and conditions. Staff investigate outbreaks of infectious diseases and institutes prevention and control measures to stop the spread of disease. Epidemiologists provide education and technical assistance to healthcare providers and the community on the management of diseases of public health significance.

Reportable disease data are collected and analyzed to identify case rates, trends, and distribution of disease in the local community. This is done in order to provide timely response to outbreaks, regular reports to providers, the public and partners and to target prevention activities.

Epi Analysis Newsletter

The Florida Department of Health in Sumter County distributes a quarterly newsletter titled “Epi Analysis” to local providers about infectious diseases in the community. If you would like to receive this newsletter, please email us at AskSumter@FLHealth.gov.

Reporting Requirements and HIPAA

Licensed medical practitioners shall immediately report diseases of public health significance according to: Section 381.0031 (2), Florida Statutes (F.S.). These individuals and entities are required to report diseases or conditions and the associated laboratory test results listed in the Table of Notifiable Diseases or Conditions, Rule 64D-3, Florida Administrative Code (FAC). Reporting test results by a laboratory does not nullify the practitioner’s obligation under law to also report the disease or condition. In accordance with Rule 64D-3.029, FAC, it is important that the requirements imposed by the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) be understood and followed especially in regard to disease reporting responsibilities and protections.

HIPAA does not change the obligation of health care providers, laboratories, and hospitals to report cases of disease listed in Chapter 64D-3, FAC, or the obligation to cooperate with the Department's epidemiology investigations.

HIPAA Section 45 CFR 160.203(c) specifically defers to state law with respect to "reports of disease, injury, child abuse, birth, or death for the conduct of public health." Also, health care providers are specifically allowed to report these and other matters that contain protected health information to the public health authority without notice to your patient (45 CFR 164.512(b)).  In fact, Section 381.0031(7), F.S., requires licensed health care practitioners to report diseases of public significance to the Department of Health. Chapter 64D-3, FAC, specifies the diseases required to be reported. These state requirements are not reduced or changed by the federal law.

Additional Resources