                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

REPORTING OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES; DEFINITIONS (§ 32.1-116.3)

A. For the purposes of this section:
			&#8220;Communicable disease of public health threat&#8221; means an illness
of public health significance, as determined by the State Health Commissioner in
accordance with regulations of the Board of Health, caused by a specific or
suspected infectious agent that may be reasonably expected or is known to be
readily transmitted directly or indirectly from one individual or person to
another or to uninfected persons through airborne or nonairborne means and has
been found to create a risk of death or significant injury or impairment; this
definition shall not, however, be construed to include human immunodeficiency
viruses or tuberculosis, unless used as a bioterrorism weapon.
&#8220;Individual&#8221; shall include any companion animal.
			&#8220;Communicable diseases&#8221; means any airborne infection or disease,
including, but not limited to, tuberculosis, measles, certain meningococcal
infections, mumps, chicken pox and Hemophilus Influenzae Type b, and those
transmitted by contact with blood or other human body fluids, including, but not
limited to, human immunodeficiency virus, Hepatitis B and Non-A, Non-B
Hepatitis.

B. Every licensed health care facility that transfers or receives patients via
emergency medical services vehicles shall notify the emergency medical services
agencies providing such patient transport of the name and telephone number of
the individual who is the infection control practitioner with the responsibility
of investigating exposure to infectious diseases in the facility.
			Every emergency medical services agency that holds a valid license issued by
the Commissioner and that is established in the Commonwealth shall notify all
facilities to which it transports patients or from which it transfers patients
of the names and telephone numbers of the members, not to exceed three persons,
who have been appointed to serve as the exposure control officers. Every
emergency medical services agency that holds a valid license issued by the
Commissioner shall implement universal precautions and shall ensure that these
precautions are appropriately followed and enforced.

C. Upon requesting any emergency medical services agency that holds a valid
license issued by the Commissioner to transfer a patient who is known to be
positive for or who suffers from any communicable disease, the transferring
facility shall inform the attendant-in-charge of the transferring crew of the
general condition of the patient and the types of precautions to be taken to
prevent the spread of the disease. The identity of the patient shall be
confidential.

D. If any firefighter, law-enforcement officer, or emergency medical services
provider has an exposure of blood or body fluid to mucous membrane or non-intact
skin or a contaminated needlestick injury, his exposure control officer shall be
notified, a report completed, and the infection control practitioner at the
receiving facility notified.

E. If, during the course of medical care and treatment, any physician determines
that a patient who was transported to a receiving facility by any emergency
medical services agency that holds a valid license issued by the Commissioner
(i) is positive for or has been diagnosed as suffering from an airborne
infectious disease or (ii) is subject to an order of quarantine or an order of
isolation pursuant to Article 3.02 (&#xA7; 32.1-48.05 et seq.) of Chapter 2,
then the infection control practitioner in the facility shall immediately notify
the exposure control officer who represents the transporting emergency medical
services agency of the name of the patient and the date and time of the
patient&#8217;s admittance to the facility. The exposure control officer for the
transporting emergency medical services agency shall investigate the incident to
determine if any exposure of emergency medical services personnel or other
emergency personnel occurred. The identity of the patient and all personnel
involved in any such investigation shall be confidential.

F. If any firefighter, law-enforcement officer, or emergency medical services
provider is exposed to a communicable disease, the exposure control officer
shall immediately notify the infection control practitioner of the receiving
facility. The infection control practitioner of the facility shall conduct an
investigation and provide information concerning the extent and severity of the
exposure and the recommended course of action to the exposure control officer of
the transporting agency.

G. Any person requesting or requiring any employee of a public safety agency as
defined in subsection M of &#xA7; 32.1-45.2 to arrest, transfer, or otherwise
exercise custodial supervision over an individual known to the requesting person
(i) to be infected with any communicable disease or (ii) to be subject to an
order of quarantine or an order of isolation pursuant to Article 3.02 (&#xA7;
32.1-48.05 et seq.) of Chapter 2 shall inform such public safety agency employee
of a potential risk of exposure to a communicable disease.

H. Local or state correctional facilities which transfer patients known to have
a communicable disease or to be subject to an order of quarantine or an order of
isolation pursuant to Article 3.02 (&#xA7; 32.1-48.05 et seq.) of Chapter 2
shall notify the emergency medical services agency providing transportation
services of a potential risk of exposure to a communicable disease, including a
communicable disease of public health threat. For the purposes of this section,
the chief medical person at a local or state correctional facility or the
facility director or his designee shall be responsible for providing such
information to the transporting agency.

I. Any person who, as a result of this provision, becomes aware of the identity
or condition of a person known to be (i) positive for or to suffer from any
communicable disease, or to have suffered exposure to a communicable disease or
(ii) subject to an order of quarantine or an order of isolation pursuant to
Article 3.02 (&#xA7; 32.1-48.05 et seq.) of Chapter 2, shall keep such
information confidential, except as expressly authorized by this provision.

J. No person known to be (i) positive for or to suffer from any communicable
disease, including any communicable disease of public health threat, or (ii)
subject to an order of quarantine or an order of isolation pursuant to Article
3.02 (&#xA7; 32.1-48.05 et seq.) of Chapter 2, shall be refused transportation
or service for that reason by an emergency medical services, law-enforcement, or
public safety agency.

HISTORY: 1988, cc. 760, 789; 1989, c. 443; 1993, c. 655; 2004, cc. 773, 1021;
2008, c. 118; 2009, cc. 478, 552; 2015, cc. 502, 503; 2020, c. 502.