Infectious Disease Reporting

• Cases, suspected cases, carriers, and deaths due to a number of infectious diseases must be reported to the Minnesota Department of Health.
  • A “case” is a person or deceased person infected with a particular infectious agent or having a particular disease diagnosed by a health care practitioner.
  • A “suspected case” is a person or deceased person having a condition or illness in which the signs and symptoms resemble those of a recognized disease.
  • A “carrier” is a person or deceased person identified as harboring a specific infectious agent and who serves as a potential source of infection.
  • A “contact” is a person who may have been exposed to a case, suspected case, or carrier in a manner that could place the person at risk of acquiring the infection based on known or suspected modes of transmission.
• Diseases reportable through sentinel surveillance are reportable based on the residence of the patient or the specific health care facility. Sentinel surveillance is not statewide reporting.

Additional information including: specifically what must be reported for each disease, criteria for reporting, clinical specimen submission guidelines, and any supplemental reporting that may be requested are available by selecting name of the disease or method of reporting.