notifiable disease

views updated

notifiable disease (noh-ti-fy-ăbŭl) n. a disease that must be reported to a proper officer (usually a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control) of the local authority so that prompt control and preventive action may be undertaken if necessary. In Great Britain such diseases include diphtheria, dysentery, food poisoning, infective jaundice, malaria, measles, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, typhoid, and whooping cough.