New Jersey Department of Health Proposes Amendments, Repeals, and New Rules at N.J.A.C. 8:57

Proposed Actions Address Reportable Communicable Diseases, Infections, and Conditions and Reportable Zoonotic Diseases Occurring in Animals; the Communicable Disease Reporting and Surveillance System; the New Jersey Immunization Information System; Childhood Immunization; and Immunization of Collegians

TRENTON, NJ - The Public Health Services Branch of the New Jersey Department of Health (Department) is proposing amendments, repeals, and new rules at N.J.A.C. 8:57 to reorganize and streamline the chapter. The proposed amendments, repeals, and new rules relate to Reportable Communicable Diseases, Infections, and Conditions; Reportable Zoonotic Diseases Occurring in Animals; the Communicable Disease Reporting and Surveillance System (CDRSS); the New Jersey Immunization Information System (NJIIS); Childhood Immunization; and Immunization of Collegians.

Subchapter 1, as proposed for amendment, would establish general provisions.

At new Subchapter 2, proposed amendments, repeals, and new rules would restate the procedures and deadlines by which health care providers, clinical laboratories, veterinarians, animal facilities, and health officers are to report cases of communicable diseases, infections, and conditions and zoonotic diseases, and update procedures for CDRSS.

Proposed amendments, repeals, and new rules at Subchapter 3 would restate procedures for NJIIS.

The proposed amendments, repeals, and new rules would restate standards with respect to the evidence of immunization or immunity that, at Subchapter 4, an administrator is to require as a condition of admission to a child care facility or a school and, at Subchapter 6, as a condition of admission to an institution of higher education. The Department is proposing no change to the vaccine-preventable diseases against which administrators are to require evidence of immunization or immunity.

The Department also proposes to amend the rule to require adherence to applicable recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, as amended and supplemented, and best practices and recommendations of other nationally recognized health care advocacy organizations, with respect to the required number and scheduling of doses of, and recognized medical contraindications to, the immunizations of which administrators to require evidence.

The Department proposes technical changes at Subchapter 5, Management of Tuberculosis (TB), to update references to guidance publications. The Department also proposes to delete a reference to a TB diagnostic test that unnecessarily prolongs patient hospital stays.

The Department is proposing technical changes to other Chapters of Title 8, Health, of the New Jersey Administrative Code, to correct and update cross-references to N.J.A.C. 8:57.

The Notice of Proposal appears in the September 15, 2025, issue of the New Jersey Register. Persons wishing to comment on the proposal must submit written comments either electronically by November 14, 2025, to nj.gov/health/legal/rules/notice-of-rule-proposals/ecomments.shtml or by regular mail postmarked on or before November 14, 2025, to Genevieve Raganelli, Regulatory Officer, Office of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360.

LexisNexis^® provides free online access to the New Jersey Register at lexisnexis.com/hottopics/njoal. Unofficial copies of the proposals are also available from the Department's website at nj.gov/health/legal/rules.

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The New Jersey Department of Health is a nationally accredited health department working to ensure that all New Jerseyans live long, healthy lives and reach their fullest potential. With more than 5,500 employees, the Department serves to protect the public's health, promote healthy communities, and continue to improve the quality of health care in New Jersey.