Class 1 notifiable events
“Health care providers must report Class 1 diseases and health events immediately on suspicion to the Medical Officer of Health at their parish health department, or to the National Surveillance Unit, within 24 hours of contact.”
What Class 1 covers
The highest-priority notifiable diseases and health events, because of their potential to cause high morbidity and mortality. They include diseases subject to the International Health Regulations or under international surveillance, diseases and events of national and international importance or national interest, vaccine-preventable diseases, and any exotic or unusual communicable disease. An outbreak of another communicable disease that could cause high morbidity or mortality may be upgraded to Class 1. The conditions, their case definitions and sample collection requirements are on the Class 1 poster in every public health facility.
Class 1 diseases and events
- Accidental poisoning
- Anthrax
- Chikungunya
- Cholera
- Congenital rubella syndrome
- Congenital syphilis
- COVID-19
- Diphtheria
- Encephalitis
- Fever and rash
- Haemophilus influenzae meningitis
- Hansen’s disease
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- HIV and AIDS
- Legionnaires’ disease
- Malaria
- Maternal deaths
- Measles
- Meningitis
- Meningococcal meningitis
- Mpox
- Neonatal tetanus
- Ophthalmia neonatorum
- Pertussis
- Plague
- Polio
- Rabies
- Rheumatic fever
- Rubella
- Severe dengue
- Tetanus
- Tuberculosis
- Typhoid fever
- West Nile virus
- Yellow fever
- Zika
Case investigations
Investigations start as soon as possible after contact, within the timeline the manual sets for each condition. It is important to actively search for similar cases, especially outside the sentinel surveillance system. If more are found, the risk to the population decides whether it becomes an outbreak investigation. If not, the work rules out, or better understands, a potentially emerging infectious disease.
Source: National Surveillance Manual
