                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

EXAMINATION OF PERSONS SUSPECTED OF HAVING ACTIVE TUBERCULOSIS DISEASE;
REPORTING; REPORT FORMS; REPORT SCHEDULE; LABORATORY REPORTS AND REQUIRED
SAMPLES (§ 32.1-50)

A. Any local health director may request any person having or reasonably
suspected of having active tuberculosis disease to be examined immediately for
the purpose of ascertaining the presence or absence of the disease. Such
examination may be made by any licensed physician or licensed advanced practice
registered nurse selected by such person at his own expense and approved by the
local health director or by the local health director at no cost to such person.

B. Each physician or advanced practice registered nurse practicing in the
Commonwealth who diagnoses or treats a person for active tuberculosis disease,
or a physician assistant who treats a person for active tuberculosis disease, as
defined in &#xA7; 32.1-49.1 and each person in charge of a medical care facility
providing inpatient or outpatient diagnosis or treatment for active tuberculosis
disease shall report to the local health director within such time period and in
such manner as may be prescribed by regulations of the Board. Such report, at a
minimum, shall include an initial report when there are reasonable grounds to
believe that a person has active tuberculosis disease, and a subsequent report
when a person ceases treatment for tuberculosis disease. Cessation of treatment
may be inferred when the person (i) fails to keep a scheduled appointment, (ii)
relocates without transferring care, or (iii) discontinues care either upon or
against the advice of the treating physician, physician assistant, or advanced
practice registered nurse.

C. The initial disease report shall include the following: the affected
person&#8217;s name; date of birth; gender; address; pertinent clinical,
radiographic, microbiologic, and pathologic reports, whether final or pending;
such other information as is needed to locate the patient for follow-up; and any
other information as prescribed by regulations of the Board.

D. Subsequent reports shall be submitted within such time, at such frequency,
and in such manner as may be prescribed by regulations of the Board and shall
provide updated clinical status, bacteriologic and radiographic results,
assessment of treatment adherence, name of current care provider, and any other
information as prescribed by the Board.

E. Every director of any laboratory doing business in the Commonwealth shall,
according to the manner and schedule as determined by the Board, report any
result diagnostic of or highly correlated with active tuberculosis disease,
whether testing is done in-house or referred to an out-of-state laboratory,
including cultures positive for tubercle bacilli and smears suggestive of
tubercle bacilli, and shall report the results of tests for antimicrobial
susceptibility performed on cultures positive for tubercle bacilli. Each
director of any laboratory shall also submit a representative and viable sample
of the initial culture to the Virginia Division of Consolidated Laboratory
Services or other laboratory designated by the Board to receive such specimen in
order to (i) ensure testing for antimicrobial susceptibility on each initial
isolate from a person with active tuberculosis disease, and (ii) establish a
library of such isolates for the purpose of disease strain analysis as indicated
by epidemiological investigations.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 32-85.1; 1956, c. 482; 1979, c. 711; 2001, c. 459; 2004,
c. 855; 2006, cc. 46, 396, 822; 2023, c. 183.