West Virginia § 16-4-6 - 16-4-6. Reports by physicians.

§ 16-4-6. 16-4-6. Reports by physicians.

(a) Every practicing physician or other person who makes a diagnosis in or treats a case of sexually transmitted disease and every superintendent or manager of a hospital, dispensary or charitable or penal institution in which there is a case of sexually transmitted disease shall make two reports of the case, as follows:

(1) One report shall be made to the local municipal health officer, if the party for whom the diagnosis was made or case treated lives within any municipality having a health officer, and if the municipality has no health officer, or if the party lives outside of a municipality, then to the health officer of the county in which the person lives;

(2) The second report shall be made to the director of health of the state.

(b) The reports required by this section shall state: (1) The street number and address of the person reported as diseased; (2) the age, sex, color, race, marital state and occupation of the person; (3) the date of the onset of the disease; (4) the anatomical site of the infection and the date and type of treatment; and (5) persons having a sexual exposure to the infected person reported, if any are identified by the infected person. The reports shall be mailed or delivered to the parties to whom they are directed within the specifications and time frame established by the director pursuant to rules proposed for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code.

(c) Municipal and county health officers shall file and preserve the reports required by this section: Provided, That all records, reports and other information provided under this section shall be confidential and exempt from public disclosure under the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-b of this code: Provided, however, That all reports shall be open to inspection by the director of the division of health, and by local health officers, or officers whose duties are connected with executing the laws against these diseases: Provided further, That any person who knowingly and willfully divulges or discloses any information entitled to protection under this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000, or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than one year, or both fined and imprisoned: And provided further, That the department shall propose regulations relating hereto for approval by the Legislature in accordance with article three, chapter twenty-nine-a and such regulations shall include, but not be limited to, provisions for the implementation of the confidentiality provisions pertaining to this section.