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Utilization of case definitions and laboratory reporting in the surveillance of notifiable communicable diseases in the United States.

J J Sacks

In 1984, questionnaires were sent to the chief epidemiologist in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC, with a 100 per cent response rate. There were substantial variations in case definitions of reportable diseases, criteria for counting as a case, and sources of surveillance. Laboratory reporting of any notifiable condition is mandated by 54 per cent of jurisdictions. These differences in ascertainment and case-counting practices constitute potential sources of error in national surveillance data on communicable diseases.