There are numerous diseases in the world and also in South Africa. Some of them are well known and treatable. Others are less known and difficult to treat and to prevent. For that reason South Africa has a legal reporting system in place through the authorities have be notified of certain diseases.
Purpose of notification
As in the majority of countries worldwide, South Africa has a routine notification system for reporting specific health conditions. The primary purposes of the reporting system are disease control and the monitoring of disease trends in South Africa. The notification system is based on government law (Health Act No 63, 1977), coupled with regulations on the reporting of specific diseases to the local, provincial and national health departments.
The relevant paragraph in the Act is Section 32, which stipulates that “the Minister may make regulations relating to the notification by medical practitioners or other categories of persons, of cases of notifiable medical conditions, including the circumstance under which, the manner in which and the person or authority to whom such notifications shall be made”.
Diseases that have to be notified
Thirty-three broad medical conditions are currently notifiable in the country. The Department of Health splits some of these into various components, resulting in the following list:
Acute flaccid paralysis
Anthrax
Brucellosis
Cholera
Congenital syphilis
Crimean-congo haemorrhagic fever
Diphtheria
Food poisoning
Haemophillus influenzae type B
Haemorrhagic fevers of Africa
Lead poisoning
Legionellosis
Leprosy
Malaria
Measles
Meningococcal infection
Paratyphoid fever
Pesticidal poisoning
Plague
Poliomyelitis
Rabies
Rheumatic fever
Tetanus
Tetanus neonatorum
TB bones and joints
TB other organs
TB primary
TB pulmonary
TB other respiratory organs
TB intestines, peritoneum
TB genito-urinary system
TB meninges, central nervous system
TB miliary
Trachoma Typhoid fever
Typhus fever (lice and ratflea borne)
Viral hepatitis A, B, or non A-nonB
Whooping cough
Yellow fever
Persons and facilities responsible for notification
If you suffer from any of the above diseases, the first health care professional or facility with whom you come into contact regarding the disease will notify the case to the authorities. In the event of a death (or case) where the person had no contact with a health care professional, a member of the community is obliged to notify the event.
Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EAP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about notifiable diseases.