A disease that legally needs to be reported to Public Health is called a notifiable disease.

When notifiable diseases are reported, Public Health investigates. The goal of the investigation is to identify the where the disease came from and who else may have been exposed. Public Health may take actions to reduce the risk of the disease spreading in the community.

The Health Protection Act, which guides this aspect of our work in Public Health, is based on an ethical framework where we use the least restrictive means to achieve our Public Health goals, considering health equity and other factors.

See 'Helpful Links' on this page for infectious diseases resources for providers.