130A-2. Definitions.

The following definitions shall apply throughout this Chapter unless otherwise specified:

(1) "Accreditation board" or "Board" means the Local Health Department Accreditation Board.

(1a) "Commission" means the Commission for Public Health.

(1b) "Communicable condition" means the state of being infected with a communicable agent but without symptoms.

(1c) "Communicable disease" means an illness due to an infectious agent or its toxic products which is transmitted directly or indirectly to a person from an infected person or animal through the agency of an intermediate animal, host, or vector, or through the inanimate environment.

(2) "Department" means the Department of Health and Human Services.

(3) "Imminent hazard" means a situation that is likely to cause an immediate threat to human life, an immediate threat of serious physical injury, an immediate threat of serious adverse health effects, or a serious risk of irreparable damage to the environment if no immediate action is taken.

(3a) "Isolation authority" means the authority to issue an order to limit the freedom of movement or action of persons or animals that are infected or reasonably suspected to be infected with a communicable disease or communicable condition for the period of communicability to prevent the direct or indirect conveyance of the infectious agent from the person or animal to other persons or animals who are susceptible or who may spread the agent to others.

(4) "Local board of health" means a district board of health or a public health authority board or a county board of health.

(5) "Local health department" means a district health department or a public health authority or a county health department.

(6) "Local health director" means the administrative head of a local health department appointed pursuant to this Chapter.

(6a) "Outbreak" means an occurrence of a case or cases of a disease in a locale in excess of the usual number of cases of the disease.

(7) "Person" means an individual, corporation, company, association, partnership, unit of local government or other legal entity.

(7a) "Quarantine authority" means the authority to issue an order to limit the freedom of movement or action of persons or animals which have been exposed to or are reasonably suspected of having been exposed to a communicable disease or communicable condition for a period of time as may be necessary to prevent the spread of that disease. Quarantine authority also means the authority to issue an order to limit access by any person or animal to an area or facility that may be contaminated with an infectious agent. The term also means the authority to issue an order to limit the freedom of movement or action of persons who have not received immunizations against a communicable disease when the State Health Director or a local health director determines that the immunizations are required to control an outbreak of that disease.

(8) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(9) "Unit of local government" means a county, city, consolidated city-county, sanitary district or other local political subdivision, authority or agency of local government.

(10) "Vital records" means birth, death, fetal death, marriage, annulment and divorce records registered under the provisions of Article 4 of this Chapter.