Reporting obligation

Reporting obligation in accordance with the German Infection Protection Act (Infektionsschutzgesetz)

Precautions against, early diagnosis and prevention of the further spread of transmissible diseases

The Act to Prevent and Combat Infectious Diseases in Humans – Infection Protection Act (Gesetz zur Verhütung und Bekämpfung von Infektionskrankheiten beim Menschen – Infektionsschutzgesetz – IfSG) is intended, as per its section 1, to “enact precautions against transmissible human diseases, recognise infections early and prevent them from spreading”.

We have compiled a list of important sub-aspects for you here. This does not however replace the underlying wording of the Act, which has been made available in the appropriate publications (in particular in the Federal Law Gazette [Bundesgesetzblatt], and in the Federal Gazette [Bundesanzeiger]).

Particular significance attaches to the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin in terms of the implementation of the Act. The Institute also has more information available on the Infection Protection Act (click here). Here you will also find up-to-date information on the case definitions, and these can be expanded by the health authorities of the Länder enacting a Länder Ordinance.

Most recently amended by Article 1 of the “Act Modernising the Epidemiological Monitoring of Transmissible Diseases” (Gesetz zur Modernisierung der epidemiologischen Überwachung übertragbarer Krankheiten) of 17 July 2017