For the purposes of this subchapter, the term:

1. (1) “Affected with a communicable disease” means a person infected with a communicable disease or exposed to a chemical or radiological agent who is capable of infecting others with the same disease or chemical or radiological agent if permitted to move freely in the general public, or a person who, while not infected with a communicable disease or exposed to a chemical or radiological agent, is a carrier of, or contaminated with, an infectious disease or chemical or radiological agent and capable of infecting others with the disease or chemical or radiological agent.

2. (2) “Communicable disease” means any disease:

   1. (A) Denominated a reportable disease pursuant to § 7-131, including any illness due to an infectious agent or its toxic product that is transmitted:

      1. (i) Directly or indirectly to a well person from an infected person, animal, or ectoparasite; or
      2. (ii) Through the agency of an intermediate host or vector, or by exposure to chemical or radiological agents within the immediate environment; or
   2. (B) Occurring as an outbreak of illness or toxic conditions, regardless of etiology, in an institution or other identifiable group of people.

History

Aug. 11, 1939, 53 Stat. 1408, ch. 601, § 2

Aug. 8, 1946, 60 Stat. 919, ch. 871, § 2

Feb. 21, 1986, D.C. Law 6-83, § 3(b), 32 DCR 7276

Oct. 17, 2002, D.C. Law 14-194, § 902(a), 49 DCR 5306

Change in Government

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 402(135) of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to the District of Columbia Council, subject to the right of the Commissioner as provided in § 406 of the Plan. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.

Effect of Amendments

D.C. Law 14-194 rewrote the section which had read as follows: “§ 7-132. ‘Communicable disease’ defined. For the purposes of this subchapter, the term ‘communicable disease’ means that term as it is defined in § 8-5:103 of the District of Columbia Health Regulations ( 22 DCMR 299) or by the Mayor pursuant to § 7-131.”

Prior Codifications

1973 Ed., § 6-119.

1981 Ed., § 6-118.

Section References

This section is referenced in § 7-2301.