To whom must a laboratory notify if testing for tularemia?

When a laboratory confirms a case of tularemia, it is required to notify the state health department. Tularemia is classified as a nationally notifiable disease, and state health departments play a crucial role in disease surveillance and public health response. Each state has specific regulations that mandate reporting of certain infectious diseases to monitor outbreaks and implement control measures effectively.

Reporting to the state health department ensures that local health authorities can take necessary actions such as contacting exposed individuals, launching epidemiological investigations, and controlling any potential outbreaks. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks these diseases at a national level, the immediate notification responsibility lies with state health departments, which provides a more localized and timely response to public health threats.

Notification to the patient's primary care physician is important for the patient's care but is not a formal requirement for reporting the disease to public health authorities. Additionally, tularemia is indeed reportable, so stating that it is non-reportable would be incorrect. Thus, the requirement for notification of confirmed cases of tularemia is directed primarily to the state health department.