N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 10 § 2.2

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 50, December 11, 2024

Section 2.2 - Definitions

Definitions shall include the following:

(a) For public health reporting purposes, hospital-associated infections shall include an outbreak or increased incidence of disease due to microbiological agents or their toxic products occurring in patients or persons working in the hospital. Any non-reportable hospital-associated infections must be handled nonetheless by hospitals and their infection control committees.

(b) A case is defined as a person who has been diagnosed to have a particular disease or condition. The diagnosis may be based solely on clinical judgment or solely on laboratory evidence, or on both criteria.

(c) A suspected case is defined as a person who has been diagnosed as likely to have a particular disease or condition. The suspected diagnosis may be based solely on signs and symptoms, or solely on laboratory evidence, or both criteria.

(d) An outbreak is defined as an increased incidence of disease above its expected or baseline level. As the number of cases which indicate the presence of an outbreak vary according to the infectious agent, size and type of population exposed, previous exposure or lack of exposure to the disease, and time and place of occurrence, the expected or baseline level of disease shall be assessed by hospitals and their infection control committees as directed in section 405.11 of this Title. While an outbreak usually involves several cases of illness (e.g., food-borne poisoning, influenza), it may consist of just one case for certain rare and/or serious diseases (e.g., botulism, measles).

(e) As used in this Part, local health authority is defined as the health officer of a county, part-county, city, town, village, consolidated health district, or any county or public health director having all the powers and duties prescribed in section 352 of the Public Health Law.

(f) As used in this Part, the term approved laboratory or laboratory approved for the examination shall mean, as the case may be, a laboratory possessing either a certificate of approval for the specified examination issued by the State Commissioner of Health under the authority of title 1 of article 5 of the Public Health Law or a permit for the specified examination issued by said commissioner under the authority of title 5 of said article.

(g) As used in this Part, the term vaccinia disease shall mean:

(1) persons with vaccinia infection due to contact transmission; and

(2) persons with the following complications from vaccination: eczema vaccinatum, erythema multiforme major or Stevens-Johnson syndrome, fetal vaccinia, generalized vaccinia, inadvertent inoculation, ocular vaccinia, post-vaccinial encephalitis or encephalomyelitis, progressive vaccinia, pyogenic infection of the vaccination site, and any other serious adverse events (i.e., those resulting in hospitalization, permanent disability, life-threatening illness or death).

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 10 § 2.2