Communicable Disease Reporting

RCHO Communicable Disease Reporting:

  • Provides general public information on requested diseases
  • Provides Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) communicable disease case information for state surveillance
  • Helps monitor IDPH Health Alerts regarding disease outbreaks and other related alerts
  • Sends authorized specimens to IDPH for testing
  • Head lice inspections

Infectious Disease Reporting

Mandated reporters, such as health care providers, hospitals and laboratories, by law must report suspected or confirmed cases of certain infectious diseases electronically through Illinois’ National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (I-NEDSS). If they do not have access to I-NEDSS, they can report by mail, telephone or fax to the RCHO or to the Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Infectious Diseases at (217) 785-7165, TTY (hearing impaired use only) (800) 547-0466. Information on reportable diseases, including the time frame for reporting, method of reporting and laboratory reporting, is available in the Control of Communicable Disease rule.

Illinois’ National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (I-NEDSS)

Illinois’ National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (I-NEDSS) is a secure, Web-based application available to health care providers and other reporters for input of demographic, medical and exposure information on patients diagnosed with reportable conditions. Once a report is entered, it is immediately routed to the appropriate local health department for additional follow-up.

Persons Required to Report Disease

  • Physicians
  • Physician assistants
  • Nurses
  • Nursing assistants
  • Dentists
  • Health care practitioners
  • Emergency medical services personnel
  • Any institution, school, college/university, child care facility or camp personnel
  • Pharmacists
  • Poison control center personnel
  • Blood bank and organ transplant personnel
  • Coroners, funeral directors, morticians and embalmers
  • Medical examiners
  • Veterinarians
  • Correctional facility personnel
  • Food service management personnel
  • Any other person having knowledge or a known or suspected care or carrier or a reportable communicable disease or communicable disease death
  • The master, pilot or any other person in charge of any bus, train, ship or boat, and the commander, pilot or any other person in charge of any aircraft within the jurisdiction of the state
  • Researchers

“Infectious Disease Reporting.” Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Infectious Diseases. N.p., 30 June 2014. Web. 26 May 2015.