The Public Health Act 2010 requires that certain medical conditions be notified to the relevant NSW public health unit.

A number of other medical conditions are also required to be notified under the Public Health Act 2010. See Schedule 1 Scheduled medical conditions and Schedule 2 Notifiable diseases for the full list of notifiable conditions.

There are different requirements for infectious disease notifications from:

  • medical practitioners and hospital chief executives
  • pathology laboratories
  • primary and secondary schools and child care centres.

The Public Health Act 2010 also allows for medical practitioners and pathology laboratories to make a notification if they believe a patient is suffering from another medical condition or disease that may pose a significant risk to public health.

Notifiers and patients should note that all notifications are kept strictly confidential. Please see the Notification of Scheduled Medical Conditions and Australian Privacy Principles fact sheet for further information.

On this page

  1. Medical practitioners and hospital chief executives
  2. Pathology laboratories
  3. Schools and child care centres​

Medical practitioners and hospital chief executives

Medical practitioners and hospital chief executives are required to report notifiable conditions to their local PHU on the basis of reasonable clinical suspicion. Case notification should be initiated within 24 hours of diagnosis.

For further information on which conditions are required to be notified refer to:

How to notify

  1. Download the Doctor/Hospital notification form or a disease-specific notification form (as listed in the right hand section).
  2. Send the completed form to your local public health unit.
  3. If the notifiable disease is followed by a phone icon on the notification form, you must also notify the PHU by phone on 1300 066 055.

Pathology laboratories

Laboratories are required to notify a positive result for the specified infectious diseases and medical conditions. Notification allows for public health action to manage these conditions and to control the spread of diseases. Case notification should be initiated within 24 hours of diagnosis.

For further information on which conditions are required to be notified refer to Disease notification guideline for laboratories.

How to notify

  1. Notify your local public health unit either in writing using the Laboratory notification form or by electronic laboratory notification to the Notifiable Conditions Information System (NCIMS).
  2. If the notifiable disease is followed by a phone icon on the notification form, you must also notify the PHU by phone on 1300 066 055.

​Schools and child care centres

Primary and secondary school principals and directors of child care centres (early childhood education and care services) should notify their local public health unit as soon as possible after they are made aware that a child enrolled at the school or facility:

  • has one of the following vaccine preventable diseases, or
  • is reasonably suspected of having come into contact with a person who has one of these vaccine preventable diseases and the enrolled child has no evidence of immunisation lodged to show that the child is immunised against, or acquired immunity by infection from, that disease.

The diseases are:

  • Diphtheria
  • Mumps
  • Poliomyelitis
  • Haemophilus influenzae Type b (Hib)
  • Meningococcal disease
  • Rubella ("German measles")
  • Measles
  • Pertussis ("whooping cough")
  • Tetanus.

Primary and secondary school principals and directors of child care centres are also encouraged to seek advice from their local PHU when they suspect an infectious disease outbreak is affecting their school or centre, such as outbreaks of a gastrointestinal or respiratory illness.

How to notify

Schools and child care centres should provide information specified in the Vaccine preventable disease notification form and are also encouraged to notify the PHU by phone on 1300 066 055.

Primary and secondary school principals and directors of child care centres who suspect an infectious disease outbreak is affecting their school or centre should contact their contact the local PHU by phone on 1300 066 055.

For more information refer to:

Current as at: Monday 21 August 2023
Contact page owner: Communicable Diseases