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Reporting Diseases and Conditions

Health care providers and laboratories are required to report certain diseases and conditions in New York City. The Health Department uses this information to prevent, track, and control diseases in the city, and to detect and respond to outbreaks.

Online reports are made through PRISM (formerly known as Reporting Central). Depending on the disease, you can report online, by phone, by fax, or by mail.

Infectious Diseases

The reporting timeframe and manner of reporting varies by disease and condition.

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Report Immediately Upon Suspicion by Calling 866-692-3641

Suspected or confirmed cases of the diseases listed below must be reported to the NYC Health Department immediately by phone. Following telephone reporting, a written report must also be submitted in an acceptable format by electronic reporting (preferred), fax, or mail unless the NYC Health Department determines that a written report is unnecessary.

  • A suspected outbreak of disease occurring in at least three people
  • An unusual manifestation of any disease or condition
  • A newly apparent or emerging disease, or a syndrome of uncertain etiology that could possibly be communicable
  • Anthrax
  • Arboviral infections, acute, including Chikungunya virus, Zika virus, West Nile virus, and yellow fever. Dengue does not need to be reported by phone but must be reported within 24 hours
  • Botulism (including infant, foodborne and wound)
  • Brucellosis
  • Cholera
  • Diphtheria
  • Glanders
  • Hantavirus disease
  • Influenza, novel strain with pandemic potential
  • Measles (rubeola)
  • Melioidosis
  • Meningococcal disease, invasive (including meningitis)
  • Mpox
  • Plague
  • Poliomyelitis
  • Q fever
  • Rabies or exposure to rabies, such as from an animal bite
  • Rubella (German measles)
  • Severe or novel coronavirus, such as SARS or MERS-CoV (except for SARS-CoV-2)
  • Smallpox (variola)
  • Staphylococcal enterotoxin B poisoning
  • Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin intermediate (VISA) and resistant (VRSA)
  • Tularemia
  • Vaccinia disease (adverse events associated with smallpox vaccination)
  • Viral hemorrhagic fever, such as Ebola and Marburg virus

Report Immediately Upon Suspicion by Calling 866-692-3641 (Only for High Risk Groups)

The diseases listed below must be reported immediately if the patient:

  • Handles food
  • Is a health care practitioner who provides oral care or feeds patients
  • Is a staff member or child younger than 6 who works at or attends a congregate setting, such as school, day care, or camp
  • Lives or works at a congregate residential setting, such as a correctional or homeless facility

If the cases do not meet the above conditions, then they must be reported within 24 hours online through PRISM, or by mailing or faxing a Universal Reporting Form (PDF).

Diseases

  • Amebiasis
  • Campylobacteriosis
  • Cryptosporidiosis
  • Escherichia coli O157:H7
  • Giardiasis
  • Hepatitis A
  • Paratyphoid fever
  • Salmonellosis
  • Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC)
  • Shigellosis
  • Typhoid fever
  • Yersiniosis, non-plague

Report Within 24 Hours Online, by Mail, or by Fax

Confirmed cases of the following conditions must be reported within 24 hours of a diagnosis confirmed by laboratory or clinical criteria. You can report online through PRISM (preferred), by phone to 866-692-3641, or by mailing or faxing a Universal Reporting Form (PDF).

  • Amebiasis (general population)
  • Anaplasmosis (human granulocytic)
  • Arboviral infections, acute, including Chikungunya virus, Zika virus, West Nile virus, yellow fever, and dengue
  • Babesiosis
  • Campylobacteriosis
  • Chancroid
  • Chlamydia
  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
  • Cronobacter (in infants 12 months or younger)
  • Cyclosporiasis
  • Ehrlichiosis (human monocytic)
  • Encephalitis
  • Escherichia coli O157:H7
  • Giardiasis
  • Gonorrhea
  • Granuloma inguinale (donovanosis)
  • Hemolytic uremic syndrome
  • Haemophilus influenzae disease, invasive
  • Hepatitis A, B, and C
  • Herpes simplex virus, neonatal infection (infants younger than 60 days)
  • Influenza-associated deaths of children younger than 18
  • Latent tuberculosis infection in children younger than 5
  • Legionellosis
  • Leprosy (Hansen’s disease)
  • Leptospirosis
  • Listeriosis
  • Lyme disease
  • Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus
  • Lymphogranuloma venereum
  • Malaria
  • Meningitis, bacterial causes
  • Mumps
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Psittacosis
  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pediatric death (children younger than 18)
  • Rickettsialpox
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever
  • Rubella syndrome, congenital
  • Salmonellosis
  • SARS-CoV-2, including Pediatric Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome, or other complications associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection
  • Shigellosis
  • Streptococcus, Group A (invasive infections)
  • Streptococcus, Group B (invasive infections)
  • Syphilis, all stages including congenital
  • Tetanus
  • Toxic shock syndrome
  • Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
  • Trichinosis
  • Tuberculosis
  • Varicella (not shingles)
  • Vibrio species, non-cholera
  • Yersiniosis

HIV and AIDS

Report acute HIV infection within 24 hours using the NYS Provider Report Form. Report HIV infection (not acute) and AIDS within 7 days of diagnosis or receipt of lab results. Call 212-442-3388 or 347-396-7784 for forms.

Learn how to report cases of HIV and AIDS.

Other Conditions

Immunization and Adverse Vaccine Events

NYC health care providers report immunizations to the Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR) as mandated by New York State Public Health Law and the NYC Health Code. Providers are required to report all immunizations administered to children up to 18 years old. Vaccines administered to adults 19 years and older should be reported to the CIR with documented verbal or written patient consent.

Healthcare providers are required to report certain adverse vaccine events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). VAERS is a national early warning system to detect possible safety problems in U.S.-licensed vaccines. VAERS is co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). VAERS accepts and analyzes reports of adverse events (possible side effects) after a person has received a vaccination.

Drownings

You must report drownings within 24 hours of the event online through PRISM.

Falls from Windows

Report window falls by children 16 years or younger to the NYC Health Department. All falls from a window in a building with three or more units must be reported within 24 hours of the incident.

Call 646-632-6023 Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or call 311 outside of business hours.

After calling, complete the Child Window Falls Reporting Form (PDF) and send the completed form by encrypted email to windowfallprevention@health.nyc.gov. If you are not able to send by encrypted email, fax the form to 347-396-8926, Attn: WindowFall.

Animal Bites

You must report animal bites online within 24 hours.

Food Poisoning

You must report the following cases immediately by calling 866-692-3641:

  • Food poisoning in a group of two or more people. This includes clusters of diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. It can also include cases of sore throat that appear to be due to consumption of the same spoiled, contaminated or poisonous food, as well as cases of people who ate at the same restaurant or other setting where such food was served.

  • Cases of neurologic symptoms consistent with foodborne toxin-mediated. This includes, but is not limited to, botulism, comorbid or ciguatera fish poisoning, and neurotoxic or paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Poisoning by Drugs or Other Toxic Agents

You must report poisonings by drugs or other toxic agents. That includes, but is not limited to:

  • Carbon monoxide poisoning. For carbon monoxide poisoning or a carboxyhemoglobin level above 10%, report immediately by calling 212-764-7667.

  • Lead poisoning. For cases with blood lead levels of 3.5 mcg/dL or greater in an NYC resident, you must report within 24 hours through PRISM or:
    • For children younger than 18, by fax to 347-396-8935.
    • For people 18 or older, by fax to 646-632-6105.
    • For reports after business hours, call 212-764-7667.

    Learn more about how to prevent, identify and manage lead poisoning.


  • Pesticide poisoning. For confirmed or suspected poisonings, you must report within 24 hours online through PRISM, or by calling 212-764-7667.

  • Ricin poisoning. For confirmed or suspected poisonings, you must report immediately by calling 212-764-7667.

Psychosis

Within 24 hours of diagnosis, city hospitals must report online through the Mental Health Referrals Portal. For more information call 347-396-6880. Report the first hospital admission of people ages 16 to 30 who are diagnosed with:

  • Schizophrenia (any type)
  • Psychotic disorder NOS (not otherwise specified)
  • Schizophreniform disorder
  • Delusional disorder
  • Schizoaffective disorder
  • Brief psychotic disorder
  • Shared psychotic disorder
  • Other specified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder
  • Unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder

Sterilization

Any facility that performs sterilizations must report all procedures online through PRISM on a monthly basis.

More Information