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There were 6,815 notifications to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) in the four week period, 6 January to 2 February 1999 (Tables 1 and 2). The numbers of reports for selected diseases have been compared with historical data for corresponding periods in the previous three years (Figure 4).
There were 1,677 reports received by the Virology and Serology Laboratory Reporting Scheme (LabVISE) in the four week period, 31 December 1998 to 27 January 1999 (Tables 2 and 3).
The Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network (ASPREN) data for weeks 48 to 51, ending 27 December 1998, are included in this issue of CDI (Table 5). A new list of conditions to be reported by ASPREN in 1999 is given on pages 55-56 of this issue of CDI.
Table 1. Notifications of diseases preventable by vaccines recommended by the NHMRC for routine childhood immunisation, received by State and Territory health authorities in the period 6 January to 2 February 1999
Disease1,2 |
ACT | NSW | NT | Qld | SA | Tas | Vic | WA | This period 1999 | This period 1998 | Year to date 1999 | Year to date 1998 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| H. influenzae type b infection | 0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
| Measles | 5 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
12 |
33 |
14 |
37 |
| Mumps | 1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
12 |
5 |
12 |
| Pertussis | 11 |
105 |
1 |
140 |
0 |
1 |
80 |
25 |
363 |
1,126 |
389 |
1,243 |
| Rubella3 | 3 |
8 |
0 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
1 |
27 |
63 |
31 |
67 |
| Tetanus | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
NN. Not Notifiable
1. No notification of poliomyelitis has been received since 1978.
2. Totals comprise data from all States and Territories. Cumulative figures are subject to retrospective revision, so there may be discrepancies between the number of new notifications and the increment in the cumulative figure from the previous period.
3. Includes congenital rubella.
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Table 2. Notifications of diseases received by State and Territory health authorities in the period 6 January to 2 February 1999
Disease1,2,3,4 |
ACT | NSW | NT | Qld | SA | Tas | Vic | WA | This period 1999 | This period 1998 | Year to date 1999 | Year to date 19985 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbovirus infection (NEC) | 0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
19 |
4 |
21 |
6 |
| Barmah Forest virus infection | 0 |
13 |
0 |
21 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
38 |
59 |
45 |
61 |
| Brucellosis | 0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
2 |
10 |
| Campylobacteriosis6 | 31 |
0 |
17 |
376 |
0 |
26 |
413 |
258 |
1,121 |
1,108 |
1,300 |
1,221 |
| Chancroid | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Chlamydial infection (NEC)7 | 13 |
154 |
50 |
323 |
0 |
26 |
208 |
210 |
984 |
584 |
1,074 |
591 |
| Cholera | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Dengue | 0 |
0 |
2 |
55 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
61 |
16 |
64 |
19 |
| Donovanosis | 0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
| Gonococcal infection8 | 0 |
84 |
73 |
111 |
0 |
2 |
53 |
97 |
420 |
398 |
491 |
406 |
| Haemolytic uraemic syndrome9 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Hepatitis A | 0 |
34 |
4 |
78 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
30 |
154 |
253 |
165 |
272 |
| Hepatitis B incident | 2 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
7 |
29 |
24 |
31 |
24 |
| Hepatitis B unspecified10 | 4 |
165 |
0 |
64 |
0 |
4 |
183 |
14 |
434 |
550 |
462 |
611 |
| Hepatitis C incident | 10 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
19 |
40 |
16 |
40 |
18 |
| Hepatitis C unspecified5,10 | 23 |
467 |
17 |
189 |
0 |
27 |
569 |
118 |
1,410 |
1,682 |
1,650 |
1,803 |
| Hepatitis (NEC)11 | 0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
| Hydatid infection | 0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
7 |
4 |
7 |
| Legionellosis | 0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
6 |
17 |
11 |
19 |
12 |
| Leprosy | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Leptospirosis | 0 |
3 |
0 |
19 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
27 |
15 |
32 |
15 |
| Listeriosis | 0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
10 |
6 |
10 |
| Malaria | 1 |
12 |
1 |
31 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
3 |
56 |
48 |
63 |
52 |
| Meningococcal infection | 0 |
19 |
3 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
8 |
45 |
18 |
47 |
21 |
| Ornithosis | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
8 |
3 |
8 |
3 |
| Q fever | 0 |
11 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
35 |
44 |
44 |
47 |
| Ross River virus infection | 1 |
111 |
52 |
166 |
0 |
3 |
55 |
47 |
435 |
239 |
481 |
257 |
| Salmonellosis (NEC) | 4 |
170 |
36 |
262 |
0 |
16 |
155 |
125 |
768 |
885 |
902 |
956 |
| Shigellosis6 | 0 |
0 |
10 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
21 |
53 |
66 |
58 |
69 |
| SLTEC, VTEC12 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
| Syphilis13 | 0 |
37 |
15 |
84 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
5 |
142 |
101 |
149 |
106 |
| TTP14 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Tuberculosis | 2 |
43 |
3 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
29 |
10 |
98 |
103 |
107 |
105 |
| Typhoid15 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
13 |
5 |
13 |
| Yersiniosis (NEC)6 | 0 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
25 |
41 |
25 |
42 |
1. Diseases preventable by routine childhood immunisation are presented in Table 1.
2. For HIV and AIDS, see Tables 6 and 7.
3. Totals comprise data from all States and Territories. Cumulative figures are subject to retrospective revision so there may be discrepancies between the number of new notifications and the increment in the cumulative figure from the previous period.
4. No notifications have been received during 1999 for the following rare diseases: lymphogranuloma venereum, plague, rabies, yellow fever, or other viral haemorrhagic fevers.
5. Data from Victoria for 1998 are incomplete.
6. Not reported for NSW because it is only notifiable as 'foodborne disease' or 'gastroenteritis in an institution'.
7. WA: genital only.
8. NT, Qld, SA and Vic: includes gonococcal neonatal ophthalmia.
9. Nationally reportable from August 1998.
10. Unspecified numbers should be interpreted with some cation as the magnitude may be a reflection of the numbers of testings being carried out.
11. Includes hepatitis D and E.
12. Infections with Shiga-like toxin (verotoxin) producing E. coli (SLTEC/VTEC) became nationally reportable in August 1998.
13. Includes congenital syphilis.
14. Thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura became nationally reportable in August 1998.
15. NSW, Qld: includes paratyphoid.
NN Not Notifiable.
NEC Not Elsewhere Classified.
- Elsewhere Classified.
Figure 4. Selected National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System reports, and historical data1
1. The historical data are the averages of the number of notifications in the corresponding 4 week periods of the last 3 years and the 2 week periods immediately preceding and following those.
Top of pageTable 4. Virology and serology laboratory reports by contributing laboratories for the reporting period 31 December 1998 to 27 January 1999
State or Territory |
Laboratory |
Reports |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead New Children's Hospital, Westmead Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown South West Area Pathology Service, Liverpool |
37 20 56 106 |
| Queensland | Queensland Medical Laboratory, West End Townsville General Hospital |
168 41 |
| South Australia | Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide | 345 |
| Tasmania | Northern Tasmanian Pathology Service, Launceston | 5 |
| Victoria | Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Fairfield |
61 182 97 |
| Western Australia | PathCentre Virology, Perth Princess Margaret Hospital, Perth |
471 88 |
| Total | 1,677 |
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Table 5. Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network reports, weeks 48 to 51, 6 December to 27 December 1998
Week number |
48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week ending on | 6 December 1998 |
13 December 1998 |
20 December 1998 |
27 December 1998 |
||||
| Doctors reporting | 55 |
55 |
52 |
44 |
||||
| Total encounters | 6,940 |
6,712 |
6,866 |
4,518 |
||||
Condition |
Reports | Rate per 1,000 encounters | Reports | Rate per 1,000 encounters | Reports | Rate per 1,000 encounters | Reports | Rate per 1,000 encounters |
| Influenza | 7 |
1.0 |
11 |
1.6 |
8 |
1.2 |
2 |
0.4 |
| Rubella | 0 |
0.0 |
2 |
0.3 |
0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0.2 |
| Measles | 1 |
0.1 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Chickenpox | 26 |
3.7 |
17 |
2.5 |
13 |
1.9 |
9 |
2.0 |
| Pertussis | 1 |
0.1 |
3 |
0.4 |
2 |
0.3 |
1 |
0.2 |
| HIV testing (patient initiated) | 9 |
1.3 |
10 |
1.5 |
10 |
1.5 |
8 |
1.8 |
| HIV testing (doctor initiated) | 4 |
0.6 |
3 |
0.4 |
2 |
0.3 |
2 |
0.4 |
| Td (ADT) vaccine | 52 |
7.5 |
47 |
7.0 |
45 |
6.6 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Pertussis vaccination | 47 |
6.8 |
61 |
9.1 |
45 |
6.6 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Reaction to pertussis vaccine | 1 |
0.1 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Ross River virus infection | 1 |
0.1 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0.0 |
| Gastroenteritis | 78 |
11.2 |
108 |
16.1 |
81 |
11.8 |
61 |
13.5 |
The NNDSS is conducted under the auspices of the Communicable Diseases Network Australia New Zealand. The system coordinates the national surveillance of more than 40 communicable diseases or disease groups endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Notifications of these diseases are made to State and Territory health authorities under the provisions of their respective public health legislations. De-identified core unit data are supplied fortnightly for collation, analysis and dissemination. For further information, see Commun Dis Intell 1999;23:58.
LabVISE is a sentinel reporting scheme. Twenty-one laboratories contribute data on the laboratory identification of viruses and other organisms. Data are collated and published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence every four weeks. These data should be interpreted with caution as the number and type of reports received is subject to a number of biases. For further information, see Commun Dis Intell 1999;23:58.
ASPREN currently comprises about 100 general practitioners from throughout the country. Up to 9,000 consultations are reported each week, with special attention to 12 conditions chosen for sentinel surveillance in 1999. CDI reports the consultation rates for seven of these conditions. For further information, including case definitions, see Commun Dis Intell 1999;23:55-56.
This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 2, 18 February 1999.
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