La. Admin. Code tit. 51 § II-117

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section II-117 - Disease Control Measures Including Isolation/Quarantine [formerly paragraph 2:011]

A. Individuals suspected of being cases or carriers of a communicable disease, or who have been exposed to a communicable disease, and who in the opinion of the state health officer may cause serious threat to public health, shall either submit to examination by a physician and to the collection of appropriate specimens as may be necessary or desirable in ascertaining the infectious status of the individual, or be placed in isolation or under quarantine as long as his or her status remains undetermined. Specimens collected in compliance with this Section shall be examined either by a state laboratory free of charge or by a laboratory approved by the state health officer at the individual's own expense.

B. [formerly paragraph 2:014] It shall be the duty of the state health officer or his or her duly authorized representative to promptly institute necessary control measures whenever a case of communicable disease occurs.

C. [formerly paragraph 2:015] The state health officer or his or her duly authorized representative is hereby empowered and it is made his or her duty, whenever a case of communicable disease occurs in any household or place, and it is in his or her opinion, necessary or advisable that persons residing therein shall be kept from contact with the public, to declare the house, building, apartment, room, or place where the case occurs, a place of quarantine, and to require that only persons so authorized by the state health officer shall leave or enter said quarantined place during the period of quarantine.

D. [formerly paragraph 2:016] Whenever a disease of international or interstate epidemic significance occurs in any community within or outside the state of Louisiana, the state health officer shall, if in his or her opinion, it is necessary, proclaim and institute a quarantine of the locality in which the said disease prevails and shall formulate and publish rules and regulations to carry out such quarantine effectively; which rules and regulations shall have the same force and authority as this code and shall remain in force until rescinded by proclamation of the state health officer.

E. [formerly paragraph 2:017] It is a violation of this code for any person to enter or leave any quarantined area in the state of Louisiana, or to enter from any quarantined area without the state of Louisiana except by permission of the state health officer.

F. [formerly paragraph 2:018] No person shall interfere with, conceal, mutilate or tear down any notices or placard placed on any house, building, or premises by the state health officer. Such placards shall be removed only on authority of the state health officer.

G. [formerly paragraph 2:019] Whenever in the judgment of the state health officer, it is necessary to protect the public health against a serious health hazard, the state health officer may take complete charge of any case of communicable disease occurring therein and may carry on such measures to prevent its spread as he or she may believe necessary and as are provided for by this Code.

H. If expedited partner therapy is chosen as an alternative by the before mentioned physician, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant, the patient with a case of gonorrhea or chlamydia will be given a written document that the patient agrees to give to his or her sexual contact. The document will contain, but will not be limited to the following information.

1. The sexual contact should be examined and treated by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant, if at all possible.

2. The medicine or prescription for medicine given to the sexual contact by the patient should not be taken by the contact if the contact has a history of allergy to the antibiotic or to the pharmaceutical class of antibiotic in which case the sexual contact should be examined and treated by a physician, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant and offered another type of antibiotic treatment.

3. The medicine or prescription for medicine given to the sexual contact by the patient should not be taken by the contact if the contact is pregnant, in which case the sexual contact should be examined by a prenatal care health care provider.

4. Additionally, any pharmacist licensed to practice pharmacy in this state may recognize a prescription authorized by this section as valid, notwithstanding any other provision of law or administrative rule to the contrary.

La. Admin. Code tit. 51, § II-117

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, LR 28:1214 (June 2002), amended LR 35:249 (February 2009).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 40:4(A)(2) and R.S. 40:5.