Communicable Disease
Under the Indiana Administrative Code 410 IAC 1-2.5, physicians, hospitals and labs have to report certain diseases to the local health department in the county where the patient lives. The patient information is confidentially sent to the Indiana State Department of Health and sometimes on to the Centers for Disease Control. This information is then reviewed to determine things such as disease trends and outbreaks, risk factors, and the effectiveness of various vaccines and medications. The Health Department is allowed to release information to the public and media about the specific diseases reported and number of cases reported.