Why is this important?

Some diseases can have serious consequences such as hospitalisations and deaths. This is why it is important that the disease is rapidly identified and attempts are made to prevent the spread in the wider population.

 

Which diseases are notifiable?

Acute encephalitis

Acute infectious Hepatitis A

Acute infectious Hepatitis B

Acute infectious Hepatitis C

Acute infectious Hepatitis E

Acute meningitis

Acute poliomyelitis

Anthrax

Avian influenza

Botulism

Brucellosis

Candidozyma auris

Chikungunya

Cholera

Chronic hepatitis B

Chronic hepatitis C

Dengue fever

Diphtheria

e.coli 0157

Enteric fever (typhoid or paratyphoid)

Food poisoning – Campylobacter

Food poisoning – Giardia lamblia

Food poisoning – Other

Food poisoning – Salmonella

Food poisoning – Unknown

Food poisoning – Cryptosporidium

Food poisoning – (Outbreak)

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS)

Haemophilus influenza bacteraemia + epiglottitis

Haemophilus influenza meningitis

Hepatitis – Unknown

HIV

Infectious bloody diarrhoea

Invasive group A streptococcal disease

Legionnaires disease

Leishmaniasis (visceral or cutaneous)

Leprosy

Leptospirosis

Listeria

Malaria

MDR-TB / XDR-TB

Measles/rubella

Meningitis (bacterial)

Meningococcal septicaemia

Mers-CoV

M-pox (Monkeypox)

Mumps

Plague

PVL – toxin producing Staphylococcus aureus

Rabies

Scarlet fever

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

Shigella

Smallpox

Tetanus

Tuberculosis – Active and Non-pulmonary

Tuberculosis – Active and Pulmonary

Tuberculosis – Latent

Typhus

Viral haemorrhagic fever (VHA eg Lassa, Marburg, Ebola)

Whooping cough

Yellow fever

 

Is it legally required?

Yes under the Health Protection Act 2026

It used to be a paper based system but is now electronic.

 

Who has to do it?

Medical practitioners whether working in the GHA or private sector in Gibraltar

 

Members of the public can notify but we would encourage them to discuss this with a medical practitioner.

 

How do I do it?

Doctors working in the GHA can notify via the HIS system

Doctors not working in the GHA please notify via this online form here

 

Further details are available on Eolas. This is an App that is free to access and contains information regarding eg antibiotic prescribing guidance for doctors working in Gibraltar.

 

If you cannot access the electronic systems during office please call: +350 22258707 Mon-Friday.  If you cannot access the electronic system after working hours please call the hospital switchboard on +350 20072266

 

Do I have to wait for laboratory confirmation and then notify?

No. This is because some test results for some diseases may take a while to be confirmed and this would delay urgent public health action.

 

What happens when a disease is notified?

This depends upon the disease.

The Director of Public Health reviews all disease notifications.

For some diseases the public health team or the GHA will contact the person asking for more information such as: how long they have had symptoms, any travel history or what vaccinations they have had.

 

If there is a suspected case of food poisoning then an Environmental Health Officer may contact the person to ask about what food has been eaten and events or restaurants the person has attended.

 

For some diseases, such as active pulmonary TB, a positive case may be asked to identify close household contacts or people they have had prolonged contact with in the workplace. This is so that these contacts can be assessed and offered testing to prevent further spread of the disease.

 

The infectious disease notifications are then reviewed on a monthly basis at the GHA Infection Control Committee meeting so that trends over time can be explored and proactive interventions planned to prevent diseases spreading.