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• Any disease that is required as per the law to be reported to the public health authorities is called a notifiable disease. The purpose of notification is
  • To facilitate a prompt investigation,
  • Assessment of risk to human health
  • To respond to cases of infectious disease and contamination.
• Notification of infectious diseases is a legal mandate and compels physicians to report designated diseases to public health authorities, failing which they could face legal consequences.
• In India, the primary act related to notifiable diseases is the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. This act provides the framework for preventing the spread of dangerous epidemic diseases, and the specific diseases that are notifiable are determined by the state governments. 
• Apart from this, States have their own Public Health Act to notify certain diseases.