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.

Reportable and Communicable Disease Rule

Who must report?
  • 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)
What diseases must be reported?

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 diseases that require prompt public health follow-up or consultation. 

Electronic Case Reporting (eCR): Automated case reporting to the Health Department.

Fax: Health Care professionals can fax paper reports to the Epidemiology Program's confidential fax at 802-951-4061.

Download a PDF of the Reportable Disease list.

DiseaseReporting Timeline
Anaplasmosiswithin 24 hours
Animal Biteswithin 24 hours
AIDSwithin 24 hours
Anthraximmediately
Arboviral illnesswithin 24 hours
Babesiosiswithin 24 hours
Blood lead levelswithin 24 hours
Borrelia miyamotoi infectionwithin 24 hours
Botulismimmediately
Brucellosisimmediately
Campylobacteriosiswithin 24 hours
Candida auriswithin 24 hours
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), including susceptibility resultswithin 24 hours
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), including susceptibility resultswithin 24 hours
Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), including susceptibility resultswithin 24 hours
Chlamydia trachomatis infectionwithin 24 hours
Choleraimmediately
COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)within 24 hours
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease/transmissible spongiform encephalopathieswithin 24 hours
Cryptosporidiosiswithin 24 hours
Cyclosporiasiswithin 24 hours
Denguewithin 24 hours
Diphtheriaimmediately
Eastern equine encephalitis illnesswithin 24 hours
Ehrlichiosiswithin 24 hours
Glandersimmediately
Gonorrheawithin 24 hours
Guillain-Barré Syndromewithin 24 hours
Haemophilus influenzae disease, invasiveimmediately
Hantavirus diseasewithin 24 hours
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)within 24 hours
Hepatitis Aimmediately
Hepatitis Bwithin 24 hours
Hepatitis Cwithin 24 hours
Hepatitis Ewithin 24 hours
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)within 24 hours
Influenza, pediatric influenza-related deathswithin 24 hours
Individual cases of influenza only if due to a novel strain of Influenza Aimmediately
Pediatric influenza-related deathswithin 24 hours
Institutional outbreaks*within 24 hours
Jamestown Canyon virus diseasewithin 24 hours
Legionellosiswithin 24 hours
Leptospirosiswithin 24 hours
Listeriosiswithin 24 hours
Lyme diseasewithin 24 hours
Malariawithin 24 hours
Measles (Rubeola)immediately
Melioidosisimmediately
Meningitis, bacterialwithin 24 hours
Meningococcal diseaseimmediately
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)immediately
Mpoxwithin 24 hours
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)immediately
Mumpswithin 24 hours
Pertussis (whooping cough)within 24 hours
Plagueimmediately
Poliovirus infection, including poliomyelitisimmediately
Powassan virus diseasewithin 24 hours
Psittacosiswithin 24 hours
Q Feverwithin 24 hours
Rabies, animal caseswithin 24 hours
Rabies, humanimmediately
Rabies post exposure treatment in humans (irrespective of evidence of rabies)within 24 hours
Reye syndromewithin 24 hours
Spotted fever rickettsiosiswithin 24 hours
Rubella (German Measles)immediately
Rubella, congenital rubella syndromewithin 24 hours
Salmonellosiswithin 24 hours
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)immediately
Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC)within 24 hours
Shigellosiswithin 24 hours
Smallpox (variola)immediately
Streptococcal disease, Group A, invasivewithin 24 hours
Streptococcal disease, Group B invasive (infants less than one month of age)within 24 hours
Streptococcus pneumoniae disease, invasivewithin 24 hours
Syphiliswithin 24 hours
Tetanuswithin 24 hours
Toxic shock syndromewithin 24 hours
Trichinosiswithin 24 hours
Tuberculosis infection, latentwithin 24 hours
Tuberculosis diseasewithin 24 hours
Tularemiaimmediately
Typhoid feverimmediately
Vaccinia (disease or adverse event)within 24 hours
Varicella (chicken pox only)within 24 hours
Viral hemorrhagic feverimmediately
Vibriosiswithin 24 hours
West Nile virus illnesswithin 24 hours
Yellow feverwithin 24 hours
Yersiniosiswithin 24 hours
Zika virus infectionwithin 24 hours

* Examples of institutions include long-term care facility, school, child care facility, correctional facility, shelter, camp, hospital, and day care centers.

What laboratory findings must be reported?

To Report:

Laboratory findings should be reported via electronic laboratory reporting. For immediately reportable findings, call the Infectious Disease Program at 802-863-7240 or 1-800-640-4374 (with Vermont only), available 24/7.

Download a PDF of the Reportable Laboratory Findings list.

DiseaseReporting Timeline
Anaplasma phagocytophilumwithin 24 hours
Arboviruseswithin 24 hours
Babesia microtiwithin 24 hours
Bacillus anthracisimmediately
Blood lead levels (all results, including undetectable)within 24 hours
Bordetella pertussiswithin 24 hours
Borrelia burgdorferiwithin 24 hours
Borrelia mayoniiwithin 24 hours
Borrelia miyamotoiwithin 24 hours
Brucella speciesimmediately
Burkholderia malleiimmediately
Burkholderia pseudomalleiimmediately
Campylobacter specieswithin 24 hours
Candida auriswithin 24 hours
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), including susceptibility resultswithin 24 hours
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), including susceptibility resultswithin 24 hours
Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), including susceptibility resultswithin 24 hours
CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts and percentages (all results)within 24 hours
Chlamydia psittaciwithin 24 hours
Chlamydia trachomatiswithin 24 hours
Clostridium botulinumimmediately
Clostridium tetaniwithin 24 hours
Corynebacterium diphtheriaeimmediately
Coxiella burnetiiwithin 24 hours
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease/transmissible spongiform encephalopathieswithin 24 hours
Cryptosporidium specieswithin 24 hours
CSF cultures (all positive findings)within 24 hours
Cyclospora cayetanensiswithin 24 hours
Dengue viruswithin 24 hours
Eastern equine encephalitis viruswithin 24 hours
Ehrlichia specieswithin 24 hours
Francisella tularensisimmediately
Haemophilus influenzae, isolated from a normally sterile sitewithin 24 hours
Hantaviruswithin 24 hours
Hemorrhagic fever virusesimmediately
Hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV IgM)within 24 hours
Hepatitis B virus (HBsAg, anti-HBcIgM, HBeAg, HBV DNA)within 24 hours
Hepatitis C virus (HCV)within 24 hours
Hepatitis E virus (IgM anti-HEV)within 24 hours
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): Includes 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
Jamestown Canyon viruswithin 24 hours
Legionella specieswithin 24 hours
Leptospira specieswithin 24 hours
Listeria monocytogeneswithin 24 hours
Measles virusimmediately
MERS CoVimmediately
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (including positive interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) test resultswithin 24 hours
Mumps viruswithin 24 hours
Neisseria gonorrhoeaewithin 24 hours
Neisseria meningitidis, isolated from a normally sterile siteimmediately
Non-Variola Orthopoxvirus (mpox)within 24 hours
Plasmodium specieswithin 24 hours
Polio virusimmediately
Powassan viruswithin 24 hours
Rabies virusimmediately
Rickettsia specieswithin 24 hours
Ricin toxin (from Ricinus communis (castor beans))within 24 hours
Rubella viruswithin 24 hours
Salmonella specieswithin 24 hours
SARS-CoV/SARS - associated virusimmediately
SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)within 24 hours
Shigella specieswithin 24 hours
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)immediately
Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) (including O157:H7)within 24 hours
Smallpox (variola)immediately
Streptococcus, Group A, isolated from a normally sterile sitewithin 24 hours
Streptococcus, Group B, isolated from a normally sterile site (infants less than one month of age)within 24 hours
Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin resistant (VRSA) and vancomycin intermediate (VISA), including susceptibility resultswithin 24 hours
Streptococcus pneumoniae, isolated from a normally sterile site, including susceptibility resultswithin 24 hours
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
Trichinella spiraliswithin 24 hours
Varicella viruswithin 24 hours
Vibrio specieswithin 24 hours
West Nile viruswithin 24 hours
Yellow fever viruswithin 24 hours
Yersinia enterocoliticawithin 24 hours
Yersinia pestisimmediately
Zika viruswithin 24 hours
What animal diseases must be reported?

To Report:

Contact the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program at 802-863-7240 or 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 diseases that require prompt public health follow-up.

Download a PDF of the Reportable Disease list.

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
Bovine spongiform encephalopathywithin 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
Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)within 24 hours
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complexwithin 24 hours
Nipah viruswithin 24 hours
Plague (Yersinia pestis)within 24 hours
Q Fever (Coxiella burnetti)within 24 hours
Rabieswithin 24 hours
Ricin toxin (from Ricinus communis, i.e., castor beans)within 24 hours
Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)within 24 hours
Typhus fever (Rickettsia prowazekii)within 24 hours
Cryptosporidiosiswithin 24 hours
How to report diseases and laboratory findings.

Call:  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 diseases that require prompt public health follow-up or consultation.

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.

Electronic Case Reporting (eCR): Automated case reporting to the Health Department.

Fax: Health Care professionals can fax paper reports for not immediately notifiable conditions to the Epidemiology Program's confidential fax at 802-951-4061.

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.