Does the CDC database contain personal identifiers?
Personal identifiers such as name and address are never transmitted to CDC in reports of cases of notifiable disease. Release of data is restricted because CDC and CSTE are required to protect the confidential nature of the data. Does CDC mandate participation in NETSS? No. Each state or territory regulates its reporting of nationally notifiable diseases. How are the data used? Weekly reports of national morbidity data are essential for public health managers and providers to rapidly identify disease epidemics and understand patterns of disease occurrence. The usefulness of these weekly reports is enhanced by the case-specific information included in NETSS reports. Changes in age, sex, race/ethnicity, and geographic distributions can be monitored and investigated as necessary. How does CDC receive reports of notifiable diseases? Through NETSS, CDC receives reports of notifiable diseases from the 50 state health departments, New York City, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. Territo
