Header:
CODE OF MARYLAND REGULATIONS
TITLE 10. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE
SUBTITLE 06. DISEASES
CHAPTER 02. COMMUNICABLE DISEASES--RABIES
Date:
08/31/2009
Document:
.03 Human Rabies.
A. Reporting.
(1) A physician, medical authority, or another person having knowledge of or suspicion of a case of human rabies shall immediately report the facts to the local health officer.
(2) A local health officer who has received a report of a case or suspected case of human rabies shall immediately notify, by telephone or other immediate communication medium, the State Epidemiologist or the Public Health Veterinarian of the case or suspected case.
B. Isolation. A physician or administrator of a health care facility providing medical care to an individual who is suspected of having been infected with rabies shall isolate the individual in accordance with the order of a local health officer or the State Epidemiologist.
C. Immunization; Preexposure.
(1) The Department shall provide rabies vaccine free of charge and the local health officer shall provide for the administration of preexposure immunization against rabies for any employee of the Department, a local health department, or another individual who provides rabies control services at the request of the Department.
(2) Based on the ability-to-pay schedule developed by the Department and circulated to all local health departments, the local health officer may provide rabies preexposure immunization to other individuals who are determined by the Public Health Veterinarian to have a high risk of exposure to rabies infection.
(3) The local health officer shall:
(a) Report to the Public Health Veterinarian monthly the number of postexposure immunizations administered; and
(b) Maintain records of the name, address, age, sex, county of residence, occupation, and the results of any blood tests administered in conjunction with rabies postexposure immunization for each individual immunized.
(4) The Public Health Veterinarian and the State Epidemiologist shall make and distribute to local health officers recommendations on the dose and schedule of administration of rabies vaccine for the purpose of preexposure immunization of individuals.
(5) The local health officer shall administer rabies preexposure immunizations according to the recommendations developed by the Public Health Veterinarian and the State Epidemiologist.
D. Treatment; Postexposure.
(1) The Public Health Veterinarian and the State Epidemiologist shall jointly issue and distribute to local health departments, physicians, hospitals, and other medical authorities, rabies postexposure treatment guidelines.
(2) A local health officer shall report on a monthly basis to the Public Health Veterinarian:
(a) The number of postexposure treatments administered;
(b) For each individual administered treatment, the individual's:
(i) Name,
(ii) Address,
(iii) Age,
(iv) Sex,
(v) County of residence, and
(vi) Occupation; and
(c) Other information as directed by the Public Health Veterinarian.
(3) The Department shall provide postexposure treatment, under the guidelines issued by the Public Health Veterinarian and the State Epidemiologist, free of charge to any person who is unable to pay for treatment.
(4) The local health officer shall make the final determination on an individual's ability to pay for treatment based on the ability-to-pay schedule of the Department.
(5) The local health officer of the county in which the individual receiving treatment resides is responsible for making a reasonable effort to obtain monies to pay for treatment through available resources.
E. Rabies Biological Products.
(1) The Public Health Veterinarian, in cooperation with the local health officer, shall provide human rabies biological products, that is, human rabies vaccine and human rabies immune globulin, for prompt availability throughout the State on a 24-hour basis.
(2) The local health officer may obtain rabies biological products.
|