More timely reporting needed for suspect communicable diseases, conditions
Situation: Clinicians have been failing to report in a timely manner suspected or confirmed cases of immediately reportable communicable diseases. These delays impact the ability to initiate testing and treatments.
Background: CDPHE notified healthcare facilities of delayed reporting of botulism cases, which prompted this notification for all immediately reportable diseases/conditions. Not all immediately reportable conditions have associated lab tests, or testing can be protracted, so clinician reporting of suspect cases is required within four hours.
Anthrax
Bioterrorism agent or incident (any pathogen)
Botulism
Cholera
Coronavirus – severe or novel (e.g., MERS-CoV or SARS-CoV) other than SARS-CoV-2
Diphtheria
Influenza, novel (including avian influenza)
Measles (rubeola)
Meningococcal disease (N. meningitidis or gram-negative diplococci)
Outbreaks – known or suspected of all types, including from food, water, animals, vectors, environmental contamination, person-to-person and related to healthcare setting
Plague
Poliomyelitis
Rabies: human (suspected)
Smallpox
Viral hemorrhagic fever
Assessment: Consultation with CDPHE is required for immediately reportables so that appropriate testing and treatment can be initiated as quickly as possible.
Recommendations:
Clinicians are responsible for reporting to CDPHE within four hours using the following numbers:
Business hours, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m: 303-692-2700.
After-hours, 303-370-9395.
Physician/APP reporting is NOT a substitute for lab reporting.
Please also notify Infection Prevention to ensure proper follow-up of these cases: 303-812-4465.
For more information and additional guidance, please refer to CDPHE's 2025 list of reportable communicable diseases and conditions.
Thank you for your efforts to ensure compliance with this requirement and to provide valuable assistance in protecting the community's health.