National Health Act, 2003 (Act No. 61 of 2003)RegulationsRegulations relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions, 2017Chapter 3 : Prevention and Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions14. Voluntary medical examination, prophylaxis, treatment, isolation and quarantine |
| (1) | The disease-specific guidelines on how to diagnose, manage and prevent the spread of notifiable medical conditions issued by the national department must be followed in implementing the appropriate medical examination, prophylaxis, counselling, treatment, isolation or quarantine measures. |
(2)
| (a) | A case or carrier of a notifiable medical condition listed in Annexure A, Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4 or a medical condition deemed to be notifiable by the Minister, must subject himself or herself to further medical examination; |
| (b) | The medical examination referred to in subregulation (a) may include but is not limited to a clinical examination followed by the taking of biological specimens necessary for laboratory confirmation. |
| (3) | A person who has been in contact with a case or carrier of a notifiable medical condition must also subject himself or herself to the medical examination referred to in subregulation (2)(a). |
| (4) | Following the medical examination, the health care provider may prescribe prophylaxis, treatment or implement isolation or quarantine procedures, if deemed necessary. |
| (5) | The need, nature and extent of the intervention must be assessed, based on the nature of the public health risk and the particular circumstances of the individual. |
(6)
| (a) | The case or carrier referred to in sub -regulation (2)(a) must comply, to the best extent possible, with all infection control measures given, including but not limited to prophylaxis, treatment, isolation or quarantine measures; |
| (b) | The case or carrier must also provide all information required to enable physical or virtual monitoring during the disease or pathogen incubation period. |
| (7) | The likelihood of a carrier or contact becoming a case, based on the extent and duration of exposure to a known case, must be considered in determining and implementing appropriate isolation or quarantine measures. |
| (8) | The carrier or contact must provide all information required to enable physical or virtual monitoring during the disease or pathogen incubation period. |
| (9) | The following conditions must be fulfilled before voluntary prophylaxis, treatment, isolation or quarantine may be taken— |
| (a) | the notifiable medical condition must pose a public health risk; and |
| (b) | the person who is a case, carrier or contact of a notifiable medical condition has been offered and encouraged to accept counselling services in order to assist him or her to understand the nature of the voluntary measures, the personal health risk and the public health risk. |