Syphilis in Nevada and Updates to Nevada Administrative Code 441A
Background
On Dec. 10, 2023, the Nevada Legislative Commission approved amendments to Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 441A that updated syphilis testing, treatment and reporting guidelines for pregnant people to align with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations and Assembly Bill 192, which was passed during the 2021 Nevada Legislative Session. Official codification of NAC 441A is pending, however the approved amendments can be found online here.
Testing and Treatment Requirements
NAC 441A.695 is amended to require that health care providers follow the most current guidelines for the testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases issued by CDC when testing or treating a person with infectious syphilis. Current CDC guidelines for testing and treatment can be found here.
Provider Reporting Requirements
NAC 441A.230 now requires a health care provider to report all information as prescribed In Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 441A.150, which states:
A provider of health care who knows of, or provides services to, a person who has or is suspected of having a communicable disease shall report that fact to the health authority in the manner prescribed by the regulations of the Board. If no provider of health care is providing services, each person having knowledge that another person has a communicable disease shall report that fact to the health authority in the manner prescribed by the regulations of the Board. A report of a pregnant woman who has or is suspected of having syphilis must include, without limitation, the fact that the case occurred in a pregnant woman and:
- If treatment was provided, the type of treatment that was provided; or
- If the pregnant woman refused treatment, the fact that the pregnant woman refused treatment. Nevada’s Confidential Morbidity Report form can be found online here.
Cases should be reported to the local health authority or state public health authority as appropriate. See the table on the next page for reporting by county.
| Health Department | County | Phone Number to Report |
| Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS) | Carson City, Douglas, and Lyon | (775) 887-2190 (24 hours) |
| Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) | Churchill, Mineral, Eureka, and Pershing | (775) 866-7535 (24 hours) |
| Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH, formerly WCHD) | Washoe | (775) 328-2447 (24 hours) |
| Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) | Clark | (702) 759-1300 (24 hours) |
| Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) Office of State Epidemiology (OSE) | All other counties | (775) 684-5911 (M-F 8 am to 5 pm) (775) 400-0333 (after hours) |
Questions
For updated guidance, review the Division of Public and Behavioral Health Technical Bulletin web page regularly. Email swarfel@health.nv.gov for other questions regarding syphilis updates to NAC 441A.