​​​Medical practitioners and hospital chief executives are required to notify their Public Health Unit (PHU) when they have reasonable clinical suspicion that a patient has a notifiable medical condition or disease under the Public Health Act (PHA) 2010​.

Timely notification of infectious diseases helps NSW Health prevent outbreaks, respond to emerging health threats, and protect the community.

Notifications are legally required and are kept strictly confidential in line with privacy legislation.

What needs to be r​eported​

  • Urgent notifications

    Notify by phone ASAP cases of:

    • Avian Influenza
    • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) variant
    • Foodborne illness (≥ 2 linked cases​)
    • Gastroenteritis (in an institution)
    • Measles
      •
    • Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
    • Mpox
    • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
    • Smallpox
    • Viral haemorrhagic fevers
      •

    Routine notifications

    Notify by phone, fax or mail cases of:

    • Acute rheumatic fever
    • Acute viral hepatitis
    • Adverse event following immunisation
    • Asbestosis
    • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
    • HIV
      •
    • Leprosy
    • Pertussis
    • Rheumatic heart disease (less than 35 years of age)
    • Syphilis
    • Streptococcus pyogenes (toxic shock syndrome, necrotising fasciitis, or puerperal or neonatal sepsis)
    • Tuberculosis

  • Urgent notifications

    Notify by phone ASAP cases of:

    • Avian Influenza
    • Botulism
    • Cholera
    • variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)
    • Diphtheria
    • Foodborne illness (≥ 2 linked cases)
    • Gastroenteritis (in an institution)
    • Haemolytic uraemic syndrome
    • Haemophilus influenzae type b
    • Legionnaires’ disease
    • Lyssavirus
    • Measles
      •
    • Meningococcal disease
    • Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)
    • Mpox
    • Paratyphoid
    • Plague
    • Poliomyelitis
    • Rabies
    • Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
    • Smallpox
    • Typhoid
    • Viral haemorrhagic fevers
    • Yellow fever

    Routine notifications

    Notify by phone, fax or mail​​​ cases of:

    • Acute rheumatic fever
    • Acute viral hepatitis
    • Adverse event following immunisation
    • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
    • COVID-19
    • Leprosy
      •
    • Pertussis
    • Rheumatic heart disease (less than 35 years of age)
    • Streptococcus pyogenes (toxic shock syndrome, necrotising fasciitis or puerperal or neonatal sepsis)
    • Syphilis
    • Tetanus
    • Tuberculosis​
      ​
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Good to know

​Practitioners may also notify the PHU if they suspect a patient has another condition that could pose a significant public health risk, even if it is not listed as a scheduled condition.

How to report

Case notification should be initiated within 24 hours of diagnosis. Follow these steps:

  1. Complete the relevant notification form: Use either the general doctor and hospital ​notification form or a disease-specific form if available.
  2. Submit the completed form to your local PHU via fax or mail. 
  3. Phone notification, if required, for conditions and diseases marked with a phone icon on the form. 

PHU contact details

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Tip​

Keep a copy of the completed form for your records.​​​​

Current as at: Tuesday 4 November 2025
Contact page owner: Vaccine Preventable and Respiratory Diseases