Communicable Diseases Intelligence Quarterly Report

A summary of diseases currently being reported by each jurisdiction is provided in Table 1. There were 80,388 notifications to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) between 1 October to 31 December 2017 (Table 2). The notification rate of diseases per 100,000 population for each state or territory is presented in Table 3.

A summary of diseases currently being reported by each jurisdiction is provided in Table 1. There were 267,220 notifications to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) between 1 July to 30 September 2017 (Table 2). The notification rate of diseases per 100,000 population for each state or territory is presented in Table 3.

A summary of diseases currently being reported by each jurisdiction is provided in Table 1. There were 75,935 notifications to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) between 1 April to 30 June 2017 (Table 2). The notification rate of diseases per 100,000 population for each state or territory is presented in Table 3.

The Australian Government Department of Health established the OzFoodNet network in 2000 to collaborate nationally to investigate foodborne disease. In each Australian state and territory, OzFoodNet epidemiologists investigate outbreaks of enteric infection. In addition, OzFoodNet conducts studies on the burden of illness and coordinates national investigations into outbreaks of foodborne disease. This quarterly report documents investigations of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness and clusters of disease potentially related to food, which commenced in Australia between 1 July and 30 September 2015...

The Australian Government Department of Health established the OzFoodNet network in 2000 to collaborate nationally to investigate foodborne disease. In each Australian state and territory, OzFoodNet epidemiologists investigate outbreaks of enteric infection. In addition, OzFoodNet conducts studies on the burden of illness and coordinates national investigations into outbreaks of foodborne disease. This quarterly report documents investigations of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness and clusters of disease potentially related to food, which commenced in Australia between 1 April and 30 June 2015...

The Australian Sentinel Practices Research Network was established in 1991 to provide a rapid, national, monitoring scheme for infectious diseases that can alert public health officials of epidemics before they arise. The network consists of general practitioners, throughout all 8 states and territories in Australia, who report presentations on a number of defined medical conditions each week. This report presents data from the 1st quarter of 2017 (1 January to 31 March) and includes the syndromic surveillance of influenza-like-illness, gastroenteritis, chicken pox, and shingles, and the virological surveillance of respiratory viruses including influenza A, influenza B, RSV and rhinovirus...

The number of notified cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in the second quarter of 2017 was greater than the previous quarter and also the second quarter of 2016. Following the July 2011 replacement of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7vPCV) in the childhood immunisation program with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (13vPCV), there was an initial relatively rapid decline in disease due to the additional six serotypes covered by the 13vPCV across all age groups, however more recently this rate of decline has slowed...

The number of notified cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in the first quarter of 2017 was less than the previous quarter, but greater than the number of notified cases in the first quarter of 2016. Overall, the decline in disease due to the serotypes targeted by the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (13vPCV) has been maintained across all age groups since the 13vPCV replaced the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7vPCV) in the childhood immunisation program from July 2011 (Figure 1).

This report from the Australian Rotavirus Surveillance Program (ARSP) and collaborating laboratories Australia-wide, describes the rotavirus genotypes identified in children and adults with acute gastroenteritis during the period 1 January to 31 December 2016. During this period, 949 faecal specimens were referred for rotavirus G and P genotype analysis, of which 230 were confirmed as positive for wildtype rotavirus, and 184 were identified as rotavirus vaccine-like. Genotype analysis of the 230 samples from both children and adults revealed that G2P[4] was the dominant genotype in this reporting period nationally, identified in 29% of samples, followed by equine-like G3P[8] and G12P[8] (19% and 15% respectively)...

The 2009 influenza season was considered a significant season triggered by the April 2009 emergence of a novel influenza A virus prompting a World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of a public health emergency of international concern. The overall number of notifications in the Australian 2009 influenza season was the highest since national reporting to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) began in 2001, and substantially higher than in prior years. Over 59,000 notifications were reported to the NNDSS, almost ten times the five year mean and representing a crude notification rate of 272...

In 2016, there were 243 laboratory-confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease analysed by the Australian National Neisseria Network. This number was the highest number of laboratory confirmed cases since 2008. Probable and laboratory confirmed invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) are notifiable in Australia, and there were 252 IMD cases notified to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System in 2016, the highest number reported since 2010. Meningococcal serogrouping was able to be determined for 98% (237/243) of laboratory confirmed IMD cases...

The 2010 influenza season was moderate overall, with more laboratory-confirmed cases than in earlier years (with the exception of 2009). That said, self-reported influenza-like illness (ILI) was equal to or lower than 2008 and earlier years. In 2010, the number of laboratory-confirmed notifications for influenza was 0.8 times the 5-year mean. High notification rates were reflected in an increase in presentations with ILI to sentinel general practices and emergency departments. Notification rates were highest in the 0-4 year age group...

During the period 1 April to 30 October 2016 (the 2016 influenza season), 1,952 patients were admitted with confirmed influenza to one of 17 FluCAN sentinel hospitals. Of these, 46% were elderly (e65 years), 18% were children (<16 years), 5% were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 3% were pregnant and 76% had chronic co-morbidities.

Interferon-y release assays (IGRAs), such as the Quantiferon (QIFN) TB-Gold Plus assay (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) and the T-SPOT.TB test (Oxford Immunotec Limited, Abingdon, United Kingdom), are marketed as a substitute for the tuberculin skin test (TST) for the detection of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The relative merits of IGRAs and TST have been hotly debated over the last decade. The specificity of IGRAs has been optimised by using Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antigens. However, IGRAs are functional in vitro T-cell-based assays that may lack reproducibility due to specimen collection, transport, processing and kit manufacturing issues...

Paediatric melioidosis is uncommon in Northern Australia and localised skin and soft tissue infections predominate. This study presents data from Far North Queensland and shows that, in this population, children with melioidosis are commonly bacteraemia and have a high case fatality rate.

Severe respiratory infections make up a large proportion of Australian paediatric intensive care unit (ICU) admissions each year. Identification of the causative pathogen is important and informs clinical management. We investigated the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the ICU-setting using data collated by the Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Intensive Care (ANZPIC) Registry from five ICUs in Queensland, Australia. We describe diagnostic testing use among pertussis and influenza-related paediatric ICU admissions between 01 January 1997 and 31 December 2013...

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a leading cause of encephalitis and pneumonia in children. Active surveillance identified a cluster of children with suspected encephalitis associated with M.pneumoniae in NSW during July, 2015. An investigation that cross validated encephalitis surveillance with ED pneumonia surveillance and senitenal reference laboratory data revealed probable epidemic M.pneumoniae disease activity in Sydney during 2015.

An outbreak of Salmonella Muenchen gastroenteritis occurred in a remote coastal Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. There were 22 people sick (attack rate 55%); 7 had laboratory confirmed S. Muenchen infection; 2 required medical evacuation and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). We conducted a descriptive case series to investigate the outbreak. All cases ate meat from a single green turtle (Chelonia mydas). The animal's pre-death stress, improper butchering, insufficient cooking and the unsatisfactory storage of meat all likely contributed to the outbreak...

This report summarises the cases reported to the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) of rare infectious diseases or rare complications of more common infectious diseases in children. During the calendar year 2016, there were approximately 1500 paediatricians reporting to the APSU and the monthly report card return rate was 90%. APSU continued to provide unique national data on the perinatal exposure to HIV, congenital rubella, congenital cytomegalovirus, neonatal and infant herpes simplex virus, and congenital and neonatal varicella...

Introduction: The Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network is a hospital-based active surveillance system employing prospective case ascertainment for selected serious childhood conditions, particularly vaccine preventable diseases and potential adverse events following immunisation (AEFI). PAEDS data is used to better understand these conditions, inform policy and practice under the National Immunisation Program, and enable rapid public health responses for certain conditions of public health importance...