To amend section 3701.23 of the Revised Code to modify disease reporting requirements.
HB578 would amend Ohio’s disease-reporting statute to add tick-related diseases and conditions to the list of reportable illnesses that health care providers, boards of health, health authorities, coroners, and medical examiners must promptly report to the Department of Health. The bill specifically names alpha-gal syndrome, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan virus disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and southern tick-associated rash illness, and it also preserves the Department of Health’s authority to require reporting of other contagious or infectious diseases or unusual biological threats.
The measure also keeps the existing framework for how reports are submitted and how protected health information is handled. Reports must be filed in the manner prescribed by the director of health, and information that identifies an individual remains protected under existing law, while non-identifying information may be released in aggregate or statistical form. In practical terms, the bill expands surveillance and public-health tracking for tick-borne illnesses without changing the underlying confidentiality rules.
HB578 would directly amend section 3701.23 of the Revised Code, expanding Ohio’s mandatory disease-reporting requirements to include a broader set of tick-related diseases and conditions. It would affect health care providers, local health authorities, coroners, and medical examiners by requiring them to report these conditions to the Department of Health, and it would strengthen the state’s ability to monitor incidence, trends, and potential outbreaks of tick-borne illness. The bill does not create a new treatment mandate or insurance requirement, but it does increase public-health reporting obligations and may improve state surveillance and response planning.
The available voting history suggests the bill was broadly supported. It received a unanimous favorable committee vote and then passed the House overwhelmingly, with 94 yeas and only 1 nay. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate significant opposition. Overall, the sentiment appears strongly favorable, reflecting general agreement that tick-borne diseases merit formal reporting and public-health attention.
The main potential point of contention is the expansion of mandatory reporting obligations for health care providers and other officials, which can add administrative burden and may raise questions about implementation, data collection, and compliance. Another possible issue is the breadth of the new category, since the bill includes both well-known diseases like Lyme disease and less commonly discussed conditions such as alpha-gal syndrome and southern tick-associated rash illness. However, the voting record shows little visible resistance, and no specific objections are documented in the provided materials.