Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-9-201 - Requirements for Reporting of Diseased Persons (Persons with Tuberculosis)

Requirements for Reporting of Diseased Persons (Persons with Tuberculosis)

If a person reasonably suspects that someone has tuberculosis and is behaving in a manner that could expose the infection to others, the attending physician or other persons shall notify the state, district, municipal or county health officers of the name, address, and essential facts of the diseased person.

If someone infected with tuberculosis moves to a different jurisdiction, the state, district, municipal, or county health officers involved with tuberculosis control and elimination shall notify the appropriate health authorities in the jurisdictions where that person has moved. The notification shall be subject to approval of the state health officer or a designee of the state health officer.

The commissioner of health is authorized to notify the appropriate tuberculosis control staff of an individual's infection status in order to ensure that the person is not a threat to the public health and welfare and to assure that the person completes the proper treatment. If a person receives notification that someone is infected with tuberculosis, they shall keep that information confidential and shall not disclose the information to others. The person who provides the patient information relating to the tuberculosis infection is immune from liability for disclosing information as long as they did so with the intention of preventing the spread of the disease and of providing proper treatment to the diseased person.