Sec. 19a-131. Public health emergency response authority. Definitions. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 19a-131. Public health emergency response authority. Definitions. As used in sections 19a-131 to 19a-131i, inclusive, and section 19a-221:

      (1) "Animal" means all vertebrate and invertebrate species;

      (2) "Bioterrorism" means the intentional use of any microorganism, virus, infectious substance or biological product that may be engineered as a result of biotechnology, or any naturally occurring or bioengineered component of any such microorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product, to cause death, disease or other biological malfunction in a human, animal, plant or another living organism in order to influence the conduct of government or to harm, intimidate or coerce a civilian population;

      (3) "Commissioner" means Commissioner of Public Health;

      (4) "Communicable disease" means a disease or condition, the infectious agent of which may pass or be carried, directly or indirectly, from the body of one person or animal to the body of another person or animal;

      (5) "Contaminated" or "contamination" means contaminated or contamination by a biological toxin or a chemical, radioactive or any other substance sufficient to pose a substantial risk of death, disability, injury or harm to other persons;

      (6) "Isolation" means the physical separation and confinement of an individual, group of individuals or individuals present within a geographic area who are infected with a communicable disease or are contaminated, or whom the commissioner reasonably believes to be infected with a communicable disease or to be contaminated, in order to prevent or limit the transmission of the disease to the general public;

      (7) "Public health authority" means a person or entity authorized to respond to a public health emergency in accordance with the plan for emergency responses to a public health emergency prepared in accordance with section 19a-131g, including, but not limited to, licensed health care providers or local and district health directors;

      (8) "Public health emergency" means an occurrence or imminent threat of a communicable disease, except sexually transmitted disease, or contamination caused or believed to be caused by bioterrorism, an epidemic or pandemic disease, a natural disaster, a chemical attack or accidental release or a nuclear attack or accident that poses a substantial risk of a significant number of human fatalities or incidents of permanent or long-term disability;

      (9) "Quarantine" means the physical separation and confinement of an individual, group of individuals or individuals present within a geographic area who are exposed to a communicable disease or are contaminated, or whom the commissioner reasonably believes have been exposed to a communicable disease or to be contaminated or have been exposed to others who have been exposed to a communicable disease or contamination, to prevent transmission to the general public;

      (10) "Respondent" means an individual ordered isolated or quarantined under section 19a-131b or 19a-221.

      (P.A. 03-236, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 03-236 effective July 9, 2003.