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What health professionals should notify National Public Health Service (NPHS) of
The Health Act 1956 lists which diseases require notification to the NPHS, and in some cases the local authority.
The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 requires healthcare professionals to notify NPHS of anyone suffering from hazardous substance poisoning or injury, or from chemical contamination of the environment, such as pesticide poisoning.
Health Act 1956 Schedule 1 Infectious diseases — New Zealand Legislation (external link)
Te Matau a Māui Hawke's Bay notifications
Communicable disease and hazardous substance notifications
Communicable disease and hazardous substance notifications
Notifiable disease notification form - Hawke's Bay [DOC, 204 KB]
Email the form to Public Health
PSOComms.Diseases@hbdhb.govt.nz
Call the on-call Medical Officer of Health if there are any unusual circumstances
Call the on-call Medical Officer of Health on 06 834 1815 if there are any unusual circumstances that require discussion such as:
- community concern
- media interest
- increased public risk.
Report urgent diseases straight away
If the disease is on the urgent disease notification list send a notification straight away — do not wait for laboratory confirmation. Also call:
- 0800 266 020 during working hours
- 06 878 8109 after hours.
Overnight notifications can be made in exceptional circumstances if you think immediate public health action or intervention is required.
Urgent disease notification list
Urgent disease notification list
- Acute gastroenteritis — Only if you suspect an outbreak, a person has suspected or confirmed chemical or toxic food poisoning, or a case is at high risk of infecting others such as a food handler who will not stand down from work duties.
- Anthrax
- Avian influenza — highly pathogenic
- Botulism
- Cholera
- Cronobacter species
- Diphtheria
- Haemophilus influenzae B invasive disease
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B — acute illness only
- Measles
- Meningoencephalitis — primary amoebic
- MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome)
- Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)
- Neisseria meningitidis invasive disease (meningococcal disease)
- Plague
- Poisoning arising from chemical contamination of the environment, including from algal blooms
- Poliomyelitis
- Rabies and other lyssaviruses
- SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
- Tetanus
- Toxic shellfish poisoning
- Typhoid and paratyphoid
- Vero-toxin or shiga-like toxin producing escherichia coli
- Viral haemorrhagic fevers such as ebola
- Outbreak of any disease
Aged-residential care outbreak notifications
Aged-residential care outbreak notifications
Contact Public Health on 0800 266 020 if you need support and assistance with managing an outbreak in an aged-residential care facility.
Early childhood centre outbreak notifications
Early childhood centre outbreak notifications
Contact Public Health on 0800 266 020 if you need support and assistance with managing an outbreak in an early childhood centre.
Manawatū-Whanganui notifications
Manawatū-Whanganui notifications
Manawatū-Whanganui notifications
Contact the Manawatū-Whanganui public health team to let them know of a communicable disease or hazardous substance injury or poisoning.
Palmerston North
- Phone: 06 350 9110
- Email: publichealthops@midcentraldhb.govt.nz
Whanganui
- Phone: 06 348 1775
- Email: phuwang@midcentraldhb.govt.nz
Urgent notifications and emergencies
In emergencies call 06 350 9110 and the on-call Health Protection Officer will be paged.
Greater Wellington notifications
Communicable disease notifications
Communicable disease notifications
Send a completed notification form by either:
- fax to 04 570 9373
- email to GW-NPHSCommunicableDisease@tewhatuora.govt.nz and Healthprotection@huttvalleydhb.org.nz
Forms should be sent within 2 working days.
Measles notification form [PDF, 200 KB]
Health practitioner notice of notifiable disease form [PDF, 312 KB]
Pertussis (whooping cough) notification to Public Health form [PDF, 302 KB]
Urgent disease notifications
If the disease is on the urgent disease notification list send a notification straight away — do not wait for laboratory confirmation.
- During work hours call 04 570 9267
- After work hours call the on-call Medical Officer of Health on 04 570 9007
Make sure you have relevant case details available when calling.
- Patient's occupation.
- Place of work, school, or preschool.
- Date of illness onset.
- Recent countries visited and date of arrival in New Zealand.
- Whether the patient has been informed that they have a notifiable disease.
- Vaccination status, if relevant.
- Suspected source of infection, for example functions attended.
Urgent disease notification list
Urgent disease notification list
- Acute gastroenteritis — only if you suspect an outbreak, a person has suspected or confirmed chemical or toxic food poisoning, or a case is at high risk of infecting others such as a food handler who will not stand down from work duties.
- Amnesic shellfish poisoning
- Anthrax
- Avian influenza (highly pathogenic)
- Botulism
- Cholera
- Diarrhoeic shellfish poisoning
- Diphtheria
- Ebola
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (invasive disease)
- Hepatitis A — notification must include a faxed copy of serology confirming acute hepatitis and LFTs
- Hepatitis B (acute disease only) — notification must include a faxed copy of serology confirming acute hepatitis and LFTs
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
- Lassa fever (viral haemorrhagic fever)
- Marburg virus disease
- Measles — Notify on suspicion and send confirmatory serology (IgM) for measles/mumps/rubella or nasopharyngeal swab result for measles or pertussis to RPH when available.
- Meningococcal disease
- Meningoencephalitis — primary amoebic
- Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
- Neisseria meningitidis invasive disease or conjunctivitis
- Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
- Non-seasonal influenza (capable of person to person transmission)
- Paralytic shellfish poisoning
- Paratyphoid fever
- Plague
- Poliomyelitis
- Rabies and other lyssaviruses
- Scombroid
- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
- Shiga toxin producing or verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC/VTEC) infection
- Shigellosis
- Toxic shellfish poisoning - unspecified
- Tuberculosis: new case, relapse or reactivation
- Typhoid fever or paratyphoid fever
- Verotoxigenic or Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (VTEC/STEC) infection
- Viral haemorrhagic fevers
- Yellow fever
- Zika
Hazardous substance injury or poisoning notifications
Hazardous substance injury or poisoning notifications
Use the electronic reporting system on BPAC (available on Medtech32, My Practice, and Profile for Windows) under 'Hazardous Substances & Lead Notifications' on the dashboard.
If you do not have access to BPAC, fax a completed Hazardous substances disease and injury reporting form to 04 570 9373.
Hazardous substances disease and injury reporting form [PDF, 784 KB]
Aged-residential care facility gastro or respiratory outbreak notifications
Aged-residential care facility gastro or respiratory outbreak notifications
Complete the notification form when you suspect you have a gastro or respiratory illness outbreak at your aged-residential care facility in Greater Wellington.
A gastro outbreak is when there are 2 or more cases of acute gastroenteritis in your facility:
- in a 48-hour period, or
- linked to a common source such as a specific meal or event.
A respiratory outbreak is when there are:
- 3 or more cases in a 48-hour period, or
- 4 cases in 7 days.
School gastro or respiratory outbreak notifications
School gastro or respiratory outbreak notifications
Complete the notification form when you suspect you have a gastro or respiratory illness outbreak at your school in Greater Wellington.
An outbreak is when 15% or more of our school are unwell — this includes staff and students.
School gastro or respiratory outbreak notifications — Greater Wellington (external link)
Early childhood centre gastro or respiratory outbreak notifications
Early childhood centre gastro or respiratory outbreak notifications
Complete the notification form when you suspect you have a gastro or respiratory illness outbreak at your early childhood centre in Greater Wellington.
An outbreak is when either of the following are true:
- 3 or more cases, including staff and tamariki, in one area have similar symptoms
- 15% of the early learning service, including staff and tamariki, are unwell.
Sexually transmitted infection notifications
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that require notification are:
- AIDS and HIV
- gonorrhoea
- syphilis.
Health professionals should notify ESR of these diseases.
Enteric disease exclusion and clearance criteria
Check exclusion and clearance criteria for infectious enteric diseases, including recommended periods of exclusion from work, school or early childcare centres.