Alabama Administrative Code
Title 420 - ALABAMA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
Chapter 420-4-1 - NOTIFIABLE DISEASES
Section 420-4-1-.09 - Notification Of Law Enforcement, National Security Or Federal Public Health Authorities

(1) As it relates to a patient or human laboratory subject of the Department, when the State Health Officer, by and through employees of the Department, learns by way of laboratory analysis, investigation, or otherwise of the presence of, or absence of, any notifiable disease relating to a patient of or laboratory subject of the Department, notification may be made to such authorities without the consent of the patient or laboratory subject of the presence of, or absence of, any notifiable disease when the State Health Officer determines in writing that such notification concerns a matter as potentially or actually affecting national security.

(2) Such notification as provided for in this rule may only be made to the above specified law enforcement, national security, or federal public health authorities and in such a manner as to best protect the confidentiality of the patient or laboratory subject when balanced against the interests of aiding the protection of national security.

(3) As it relates to non-human subjects, when the State Health Officer, by and through the State Laboratory or environmental or epidemiological staff, shall be called upon by such law enforcement or national security authorities to make or perform tests, examinations of, or investigations of objects, environs, animals, or other animate or inanimate non-human subjects for the presence or absence of conditions or modalities causative of or suspected of being causative of any notifiable disease, reports of such tests, examinations, or investigations shall be made only to such law enforcement, national security, or national public health authorities, and directly to affected persons in a manner consistent with the protection of the confidentiality of directly affected persons when balanced against the interests of aiding the protection of national security.

(4) This rule relates only to matters potentially or actually affecting national security and is not intended to be invoked or effective under any other condition. The invocation or noninvocation of this rule is not intended to affect the normal course of business as such relates to patient or subject confidentiality of laboratory, environmental, or epidemiological analysis, test, examination, or investigation.