title: Notification - what's it all about?
abstract: 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This case study highlights the importance of notification on clinical suspicion of a disease, and subsequent actions taken by public health units.
authors.affiliation: North Sydney and Central Coast Public Health Unit, New South Wales, Australia. desler@nsccahs.health.nsw.gov.au
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Esler
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Just
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000379:methods*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008457:Measles / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'