Code of Virginia
Chapter 2, Title 32.1
§ 32.1-36. Reports by physicians and laboratory directors.
A. Every physician practicing in this Commonwealth who shall diagnose or reasonably suspect that any patient of his has any disease required by the Board to be reported and every director of any laboratory doing business in this Commonwealth that performs any test whose results indicate the presence of any such disease shall make a report within such time and in such manner as may be prescribed by regulations of the Board.
§ 32.1-37. Reports by persons other than physicians.
B. The person in charge of any residential or day program, service or facility licensed or operated by any agency of the Commonwealth, school or summer camp as defined in § 35.1-1 shall immediately make or cause to be made a report of an outbreak of disease as defined by the Board. Such report shall be made by rapid means to the local health director or to the Commissioner.
§ 32.1-38. Immunity from liability.
Any person making a report or disclosure required or authorized by this chapter, including any voluntary reports submitted at the request of the Department of Health for special surveillance or other epidemiological studies, shall be immune from civil liability or criminal penalty connected therewith.
§ 32.1-40. Authority of Commissioner to examine medical records.
Every practitioner of the healing arts and every person in charge of any medical care facility shall permit the Commissioner or his designee to examine and review any medical records which he has in his possession or to which he has access upon request of the Commissioner or his designee in the course of investigation, research or studies of diseases or deaths of public health importance. No such practitioner or person shall be liable in any action at law for permitting such examination and review.
§ 32.1-41. Anonymity of patients and practitioners to be preserved in use of medical records.
The Commissioner or his designee shall preserve the anonymity of each patient and practitioner of the healing arts whose records are examined pursuant to § 32.1-40 except that the Commissioner, in his sole discretion, may divulge the identity of such patients and practitioners if pertinent to an investigation, research or study. Any person to whom such identities are divulged shall preserve
their anonymity.
CDC Recommendations for Influenza
Multistate Foodborne Outbreaks
Central Shenandoah Health District
If you, or a child, have a cough that lasts for more than 2 weeks see your health care provider.
