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

Current through June 14, 2024
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.