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Public Health Act 1997
99Principles—notifiable conditions
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99 Principles—notifiable conditions
This part shall be construed and administered in accordance with the
following principles:
(a) the investigation of notifiable conditions, and any actions taken
as a consequence, must be carried out in order to minimise the
adverse public health effects of such conditions;
(b) a person who engages in activities that are known to carry a
potential risk of exposure to a transmissible notifiable condition,
and any person responsible for the care, support or education of
such a person, has the following responsibilities:
(i) to take all reasonable precautions to avoid the contracting
of the condition by the person who engages in such
activities;
(ii) if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the person
who engages in such activities has been exposed to the
condition—to ascertain whether the condition has been
contracted, and what precautions should reasonably be
taken to avoid exposing others to the condition;
(iii) if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the person
who engages in such activities has contracted, or is likely
to have contracted the condition—to comply with
preventative measures or treatment that will minimise the
risk to others of exposure to the condition;
(iv) if there are reasonable grounds for believing that the person
who engages in such activities has contracted, or is likely
to have contracted the condition—to take reasonable
measures to ensure that others are not unknowingly placed
at risk through any action or inaction of the person or any
person responsible for the care, support or education of the
person;
(c) a person who has, or may have, a notifiable condition, or who
engages in activities that are known to carry a potential risk of
exposure to a notifiable condition, must be accorded the
following rights, to the extent that their exercise does not
conflict with the requirements of this part and does not infringe
unduly on the wellbeing of others:
(i) the right to privacy;
(ii) the right to receive all reasonably available information
about the medical and social consequences of the condition
and any proposed treatment.