Reportable Disease Rule

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The Reportable Disease Rule has been updated for 2024. 

For key changes and highlights, please see the Health Advisory Notification

Vermont’s list of reportable diseases and the time frames in which they are required to be reported to the Health Department are specified in Vermont law (Reportable and Communicable Disease Rule). 

The Vermont Department of Health depends on reports of diseases and conditions of public health concern to protect the health of Vermont residents. Timely reporting ensures that cases of communicable disease can be investigated quickly so steps can be taken to prevent the spread of the disease. Organizations and professionals who know or suspect that a person has (or has died of) a disease dangerous to the public’s health are required to report to the Health Department.

Health care providers and laboratories are required by law to notify the Health Department regarding patients with certain suspected or confirmed reportable diseases. Both laboratory confirmed and clinical diagnoses are reportable within 24 hours. Immediate reporting is essential for a limited number of conditions that require prompt public health follow-up (like measles and meningococcal disease), and for diseases that might indicate a bioterrorism incident.

Who Must Report

According to the Rule, the following professionals are required to report suspected or confirmed cases of reportable diseases: 

  • Infection preventionists
  • Health care providers
  • Laboratory directors
  • Nurses
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Physician assistants
  • Physicians
  • School health officials
  • Administrators of long-term care and assisted living facilities
  • Any other health care provider, as defined by 18 V.S.A  9402
  • Veterinarians (for reportable animal diseases)

How To Report

Call by phone for all immediately reportable findings. 

  • Phone:  The Infectious Disease Program at 802-863-7240 or 1-800-640-4374 (within Vermont only) from 7:45 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. on business days. An epidemiologist is available 24/7 for immediately reportable diseases. 

For diseases reportable within 24 hours (non-immediate), report online or fax. 

  • Report online: Health care professionals can use a secure online report form for conditions that are not immediately notifiable. Do not use this form for immediately notifiable conditions or Lyme disease. Clinical information for cases of Lyme disease no longer needs to be reported to the Health Department; instead, laboratory evidence of infection is required to be counted in surveillance estimates in Vermont. Please see 2022 Health Advisory for more information.

  • Fax: Health Care professionals can fax paper reports to the Epidemiology Program's confidential fax at 802-951-4061 for non-immediately reportable diseases.

Reporting Laboratory Findings

  • Use electronic laboratory reporting or for immediately reportable findings, call the Infectious Disease Program at 802-863-7240 or 1-800-640-4374 (VT only), available 24/7.

If you have questions about how to send specimens to the VDHL, please call customer service at 802-338-4724. 

Reportable Diseases and Lab Findings

∗ Examples of institutions for influenza outbreak reports include long-term care facilities, schools, child care facilities, correctional facilities, shelters, camps, hospitals, and day care centers.

Download a PDF of the Reportable Disease list

Diseases, Syndromes, and Treatments

Reportable Laboratory Findings

Reporting Timeline

Specimens Required to go to VDHL

Anaplasmosis

Anaplasma phagocytophilum

Within 24 hours

 

AnthraxBacillus anthracis, bacillus cereus, biovar anthracisImmediatelyYes

Babesiosis 

Babesia microti, Babesia divergens, Babesia duncani 

Within 24 hours

 

Blastomycosis 

Blastomyces species  

Within 24 hours

 

Blood lead levels 

All results, including undetectable 

Within 24 hours

 

BotulismClostridium botulinum ImmediatelyYes
Brucellosis Brucella species  ImmediatelyYes

Campylobacteriosis 

Campylobacter species

Within 24 hours

Yes

Candida auris illness  

Candida auris 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infection/colonization 

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), including susceptibility results

Within 24 hours

Yes

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infection/colonization 

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), including susceptibility results 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) infection/colonization 

Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), including susceptibility results 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Chikungunya virus disease 

Chikungunya virus 

Within 24 hours

 

Chlamydia trachomatis infection 

Chlamydia trachomatis 

Within 24 hours

 

CholeraVibrio cholerae serogroups O1 or O139Immediately

Yes

COVID-19 – positive results

SARS-CoV-2 

Within 24 hours

 

COVID-19-related pediatric deaths 

SARS-CoV-2 

Within 24 hours

 

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease/transmissible spongiform encephalopathies 

N/A 

Within 24 hours

 

Cryptosporidiosis 

Cryptosporidium species

Within 24 hours

Yes

Cyclosporiasis 

Cyclospora cayetanensis 

Within 24 hours

 

Dengue 

Dengue virus 

Within 24 hours

 

DiphtheriaCorynebacterium diphtheriaeImmediately

Yes

Eastern equine encephalitis 

Eastern equine encephalitis virus 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Ehrlichiosis 

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii, Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis 

Within 24 hours

 

Encephalitis 

N/A 

Within 24 hours

 

GlandersBurkholderia malleiImmediately

Yes

Gonorrhea 

Neisseria gonorrhoeae 

Within 24 hours

 

Haemophilus influenzae disease, invasiveHaemophilus influenzae, isolated from a normally sterile site, including susceptibility resultsImmediately

Yes

Hantavirus disease 

Hantaviruses 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Hard tick relapsing fever 

Borrelia miyamotoi 

Within 24 hours

 

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) 

N/A 

Within 24 hours

 

Hepatitis A (acute)Hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV IgM)Immediately

 

Hepatitis B 

Hepatitis B virus (HBsAg, anti-HBcIgM, HBeAg, HBV DNA) 

Within 24 hours

 

Hepatitis B, positive surface antigen in a pregnant person 

Hepatitis B virus (HbsAg) 

Within 24 hours

 

Hepatitis C 

Positive hepatitis C antibody results and all positive and non-detectable nucleic acid test results, including genotype 

Within 24 hours

 

Hepatitis E 

Hepatitis E virus (IgM anti-HEV) 

Within 24 hours

 

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) including the following: 

HIV viral load measurement, including non-detectable results

All HIV subtype and HIV nucleotide sequence data from antiretroviral drug resistance testing

Within 24 hours 
Infant botulismClostridium botulinum Immediately

Yes

Influenza - only novel influenza A strainsOnly novel influenza A strainsImmediately

Yes - only novel influenza A

Influenza-related pediatric deaths and institutional outbreaks

N/A

Within 24 hours

 

Jamestown Canyon virus disease 

Jamestown Canyon virus 

Within 24 hours

Yes

La Crosse virus disease 

La Crosse virus 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Legionellosis 

Legionella species

Within 24 hours

Yes

Leptospirosis 

Leptospira species

Within 24 hours

Yes

Listeriosis 

Listeria monocytogenes 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Lyme disease 

Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia mayonii 

Within 24 hours

 

Malaria 

Plasmodium species

Within 24 hours

 

Measles (Rubeola)Measles virusImmediately

 

MelioidosisBurkholderia pseudomalleiImmediately

Yes

Meningitis, bacterialNeisseria meningitidis isolated from a normally sterile site, including susceptibility results, Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from a normally sterile site, including susceptibility results, Haemophilus influenzae isolated from a normally sterile site, including susceptibility results Immediately

 

Meningococcal diseaseNeisseria meningitidis, isolated from a normally sterile site, including susceptibility resultsImmediately

Yes

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)MERS CoVImmediately

Yes

Mpox (human monkeypox) 

MPXV Clade I and Clade II, non-variola Orthopoxvirus 

Within 24 hours

 

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) 

SARS-CoV-2 

Within 24 hours

 

Mumps 

Mumps virus 

Within 24 hours

 

Pertussis (whooping cough) 

Bordetella pertussis 

Within 24 hours

 

PlagueYersinia pestisImmediately

Yes

Poliovirus infection, including poliomyelitisPoliovirusImmediately

 

Powassan virus disease 

Powassan virus 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Psittacosis 

Chlamydia psittaci 

Within 24 hours

 

Q fever 

Coxiella burnetii 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Rabies, human and animal cases Rabies virusImmediately

 

Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis in humans

Link to reporting form

N/A 

Within 24 hours

 

Reye syndrome 

N/A 

Within 24 hours

 

Ricin toxicity 

Ricin toxin 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Rubella (German measles)Rubella virus Immediately

 

Rubella, congenital rubella syndrome 

Rubella virus 

Within 24 hours

 

Salmonella Paratyphi infectionSalmonella enterica serotypes Paratyphi A, B [tartrate negative], and C [S. Paratyphi]Immediately

Yes

Salmonella Typhi infectionSalmonella enterica serotype Typhi Immediately

Yes

Salmonellosis 

Salmonella species (non-Typhi)

Within 24 hours

Yes

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)SARS-CoV/SARS-associated Immediately

Yes

Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) 

Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) (including O157:H7) 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Shigellosis 

Shigella species

Within 24 hours

Yes

Smallpox Variola virusImmediately

 

Spotted fever group rickettsioses 

Rickettsia species

Within 24 hours

 

St. Louis encephalitis 

St. Louis encephalitis virus 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Streptococcal disease, group A, invasive 

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A), isolated from a normally sterile site

Within 24 hours

Yes

Streptococcal disease, group B invasive (infants less than one month of age) 

Streptococcus agalactiae (group B), isolated from a normally sterile site (infants less than one month of age)

Within 24 hours

 

Streptococcus pneumoniae disease, invasive 

Streptococcus pneumoniae, isolated from a normally sterile site, including susceptibility results

Within 24 hours

 

Syphilis 

Treponema pallidum and all confirmatory tests for syphilis that result from an initial positive screening test, regardless of result (positive and negative)

Within 24 hours

 

Tetanus 

Clostridium tetani 

Within 24 hours

 

Toxic shock syndrome 

N/A 

Within 24 hours

 

Trichinellosis 

Trichinella species

Within 24 hours

 

Tuberculosis diseaseMycobacterium tuberculosis complex, including susceptibility results, interferon gamma release assay (IGRA), tuberculin skin test (TST) Immediately

Yes

Tuberculosis infection, latent 

Interferon gamma release assay (IGRA), tuberculin skin test (TST) 

Within 24 hours

 

TularemiaFrancisella tularensis Immediately

Yes

Vaccinia (disease or adverse event) 

Vaccinia virus 

Within 24 hours

 

Varicella (chickenpox only) 

Varicella virus 

Within 24 hours

 

Vibriosis 

Vibrio species

Within 24 hours

Yes

VRSA, VISA infection 

Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin resistant (VRSA) and vancomycin intermediate (VISA), including susceptibility results

Within 24 hours

Yes

West Nile virus illness 

West Nile virus 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Yellow fever 

Yellow fever virus 

Within 24 hours

 

Yersiniosis 

Yersinia enterocolitica 

Within 24 hours

Yes

Zika virus disease and infection 

Zika virus 

Within 24 hours

 

Reportable Animal Diseases

The list below shows reportable animal diseases to the Department of Health. Other diseases may be reportable to the Agency of Agriculture

Reportable Animal DiseaseReporting Timeline
Anthraxwithin 24 hours
Arboviral: eastern equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis, West Nile viruswithin 24 hours
Avian Chlamydiosis (Psittacosis, Ornithosis)within 24 hours
Brucellosis (Brucella species)within 24 hours
Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)within 24 hours
Hantaviruswithin 24 hours
Hendra viruswithin 24 hours
Highly pathogenic avian influenzawithin 24 hours
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complexwithin 24 hours
Nipah viruswithin 24 hours
Non-Variola Orthopoxvirus (mpox)within 24 hours
Plague (Yersinia pestis)within 24 hours
Q Fever (Coxiella burnetti)within 24 hours
Rabieswithin 24 hours
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infectionwithin 24 hours
Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)within 24 hours
Typhus fever (Rickettsia prowazekii)within 24 hours
Cryptosporidiosiswithin 24 hours
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