Notification - what's it all about?

BACKGROUND: General practitioners are often unsure of their obligation to notify public health units of infectious disease in their patients. A measles case study in which contacts missed out on appropriate prophylaxis due to failure to notify by a GP and hospital staff is discussed. OBJECTIVE: This article aims to demonstrate the rationale behind prompt infectious disease notification. DISCUSSION: This case study highlights the importance of notification on clinical suspicion of a disease, and subsequent actions taken by public health units.