Health practitioners are required by Section 74 of the Health Act 1956 to report to the medical officer of health (MOH) any patient they have 'reasonable suspicion' is suffering from a notifiable disease. Notification allows for appropriate public health control measures to be taken to reduce the risk of further spread, for disease surveillance, and for monitoring of the effectiveness of control measures.
Medical practitioners are also required to report to the local medical officer of health any patient suffering from poisoning or injury from hazardous substances (Section 143 Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996) or from chemical contamination of the environment (Health Act 1956), such as pesticide poisoning. For information about Hazardous Substances Surveillance, visit the Environmental Health Indicators New Zealand website.
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