Rhode Island Code of Regulations
Title 216 - Department of health
Chapter 30 - Infectious Diseases
Subchapter 05 - Infectious Diseases
Part 1 - Reporting and Testing of Infectious, Environmental, and Occupational Diseases
Section 216-RICR-30-05-1.3 - Definitions

A. "Asbestos" means that unique group of naturally occurring minerals that separate into fibers of high tensile strength, resistant to heat, wear, and chemicals, described as the following types: chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthopyllite, and actinolite, and every product containing any of these materials that have been chemically treated and/or altered which after manufacture are used for such products and end uses including but not limited to insulation, textiles, paper, cement, sheets, floor tile, wall covering, decorations, coating, sealants, cement pipe and reinforced plastics and other compounds.

B. "Asbestos-related disease" means any illness or disease, other than for benign conditions of the pleura, suspected of being related to asbestos exposure, including, but not limited to, mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer believed to be caused by asbestos exposure.

C. "Carrier" means a person or animal that harbors a specific infectious agent without discernible clinical disease and serves as a potential source of infection.

D. "Case" or "Patient" means a person who is suspected or confirmed to be ill, infected, exposed to, or diagnosed with a reportable disease.

E. "Clinical laboratory" means a facility for the biological, microbiological, serological, chemical, immunohematological, hematological, radiobioassay, cytological, pathological, genomic, or any other examination of materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any disease or impairment of, or the assessment of the health of human beings.

F. "Controlled substance" means a drug, substance, or immediate precursor in schedules I-V listed by R.I. Gen Laws Chapter 21-28.

G. "Culture Independent Diagnostic Test" or "CIDT" means any laboratory assay that detects the molecular or antigenic signature of pathogens independent of generating an isolate, including but not limited to microscopy, immunoassays, and Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT)s.

H. "Diagnosis of AIDS" means the most current surveillance case definition for AIDS published by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

I. "Diagnosis of HIV" means the most current surveillance case definition for HIV infection published by the CDC.

J. "Director" means the Director of Health or his/her designee.

K. "Disease report" means an official notice to the appropriate authority of the occurrence of a specified disease in humans or animals, in accordance with the requirements stated in these Regulations.

L. "Emergency service worker" means a worker responding on behalf of a licensed ambulance/rescue service, fire department, or law enforcement agency.

M. "Health care facility" means those facilities licensed by the Department in accordance with the provisions of R.I. Gen Laws Chapter 23-17.

N. "Health care provider" means a physician, physician assistant, or certified nurse practitioner licensed to practice in Rhode Island.

O. "Infectious disease" means an illness due to a specific infectious agent or its toxic products that arises through transmission of that agent or its products from an infected person, animal, or inanimate reservoir to a susceptible host.

P. "Occupational disease" means a disease or condition which is believed to be caused or aggravated by conditions in the individual's workplace.

Q. "Occupational health representative" means an individual, within a health care facility, trained to respond to occupational, particularly blood borne, exposures.

R. "RIDOH" means the Rhode Island Department of Health.

S. "Surveillance" means the practice of monitoring the occurrence and spread of disease. Included are the systematic collection and evaluation of: morbidity and mortality reports; special reports of field investigations, epidemics and individual cases; isolations and identifications of infectious agents in laboratories; data concerning the availability and use of vaccines; immune globulin, pesticides and other substances used in disease control; information regarding immunity levels in segments of the population, and of other relevant epidemiologic data. The procedure applies to all jurisdictional levels of public health, from local to international.