This article {extract} was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Vol 31 No 1 March 2007 and may be downloaded as a full version PDF from the Table of contents page.

In 2005, 60 diseases and conditions were nationally notifiable in Australia. States and territories reported a total of 125,461 cases of communicable diseases to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System: an increase of 10% on the number of notifications in 2004. In 2005, the most frequently notified diseases were sexually transmissible infections (51,557 notifications, 41% of total notifications), gastrointestinal diseases (29,422 notifications, 23%) and bloodborne diseases (19,278 notifications, 15%). There were 17,753 notifications of vaccine preventable diseases; 4,935 notifications of vectorborne diseases; 1,826 notification of other bacterial infections (legionellosis, leprosy, meningococcal infections and tuberculosis) and 687 notifications of zoonotic diseases. Commun Dis Intell 2007;31:1–70.

Author affiliations

1. Surveillance Policy and Systems Section, Office of Health Protection, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

2. Manager, Surveillance, Communicable Diseases Branch, NSW Health Department, North Sydney, New South Wales

3. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales

4. Epidemiology and Modelling Section, Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

5. Epidemiologist, OzFoodNet, Food Safety and Surveillance Section, Office of Health Protection, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

6. National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Westmead, New South Wales

Corresponding author: Ms Rhonda Owen, Surveillance Policy and Systems Section, Office of Health Protection, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, PO Box 9848 (MDP 14), CANBERRA ACT 2601. Telephone: +61 2 6289 9040. Facsimile: +61 2 6289 7791. Email: rhonda.owen@health.gov.au

With contributions from:

National organisations

Communicable Diseases Network Australia and subcommittees

Australian Childhood Immunisation Register

Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme

Australian Meningococcal Surveillance Programme

Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network

Australian Quarantine Inspection Service

National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases

National Enteric Pathogens Surveillance Scheme

World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza

State and territory health departments

Communicable Diseases Control Unit, Australian Capital Territory Department of Health and Community Care, Australian Capital Territory

Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Control Unit, NSW Health Department, New South Wales

Centre for Disease Control, Northern Territory Department of Health and Community Services, Northern Territory

Communicable Diseases Unit, Queensland Health, Queensland

Communicable Diseases Control Branch, South Australian Department of Human Services, South Australia

Communicable Disease Prevention Unit, Department of Health and Human Services, Tasmania

Communicable Diseases Section, Department of Human Services, Victoria

Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Department of Health, Western Australia