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National Influenza Surveillance, 1999

Three types of data are included in National Influenza Surveillance, 1999. These are sentinel general practitioner surveillance conducted by the Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network, Department of Human Services (Victoria), Department of Health (New South Wales) and the Tropical Influenza Surveillance Scheme, Territory Health (Northern Territory); laboratory surveillance data from the Communicable Diseases Intelligence Virology and Serology Laboratory Reporting Scheme, LabVISE, and the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Influenza Reference and Research; and absenteeism surveillance conducted by Australia Post. For further information about these schemes, see Commun Dis Intell 1999; 23:56.

Sentinel general practitioner surveillance

An increase in consultation rates for influenza-like illness reported by the ASPREN, NSW and Victorian schemes was apparent in April (Figure 4). Rates for influenza-like illness recorded by ASPREN were lower this year than for the same period in 1998. In contrast, the consultation rates for influenza activity reported by the Tropical Influenza Surveillance Scheme showed higher rates from March to May than for the same period in 1998. Victorian rates were similar to those recorded for the corresponding period in 1998.

Figure 4. Sentinel general practitioner influenza consultation rates, 1999, by scheme and week

Laboratory surveillance

Figure 5 shows the number of laboratory reports for 1998 and 1999. Data for 1999 is provided only for January to May. For the year to date there have been 354 laboratory reports of influenza. Of these 290 (82%) were influenza A and 64 (18%) were influenza B (Figure 6). Of the influenza A that have been typed, 7 strains have been characterised as influenza H3N2 and 2 strains as influenza H1N1.

Figure 5. Laboratory reports of influenza, 1998-99, by week of specimen collection



Figure 6. Laboratory reports of influenza, 1999, by type and by month of specimen collection


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Absenteeism surveillance

Australia Post reports employees absent if they are not at work for three or more consecutive days in one week. The average rates for May were 0.45% which is higher than for May 1998 (0.28%)(Figure 7).

Figure 7. Absenteeism rates in Australia Post, 1999

HIV and AIDS Surveillance

National surveillance for HIV disease is coordinated by the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR), in collaboration with State and Territory health authorities and the Commonwealth of Australia. Cases of HIV infection are notified to the National HIV Database on the first occasion of diagnosis in Australia, by either the diagnosing laboratory (ACT, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria) or by a combination of laboratory and doctor sources (Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia). Cases of AIDS are notified through the State and Territory health authorities to the National AIDS Registry. Diagnoses of both HIV infection and AIDS are notified with the person's date of birth and name code, to minimise duplicate notifications while maintaining confidentiality.

Tabulations of diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS are based on data available three months after the end of the reporting interval indicated, to allow for reporting delay and to incorporate newly available information. More detailed information on diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS is published in the quarterly Australian HIV Surveillance Report, and annually in HIV/AIDS and related diseases in Australia Annual Surveillance Report. The reports are available from the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, 376 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010. Telephone: (02) 9332 4648; Facsimile: (02) 9332 1837; http://www.med.unsw.edu.au/nchecr.

HIV and AIDS diagnoses and deaths following AIDS reported for 1 to 28 February 1999, as reported to 31 May 1999, are included in this issue of Commun Dis Intell (Tables 6 and 7).

Table 6. New diagnoses of HIV infection, new diagnoses of AIDS and deaths following AIDS occurring in the period 1 to 28 February 1999, by sex and State or Territory of diagnosis

		State or Territory								Totals for Australia
		ACT	NSW	NT	Qld	SA	Tas	Vic	WA	This period 1999	This period 1998	Year to date 1999	Year to date 1998
HIV diagnoses	Female	1	3	0	1	0	0	2	0	7	7	10	10
	Male	0	18	0	8	1	0	8	2	37	56	79	118
	Sex not reported	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	2
	Total1	1	21	0	9	1	0	10	2	44	65	90	130
AIDS diagnoses	Female	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	2
	Male	0	2	1	5	0	0	0	1	9	26	14	52
	Total1	0	2	1	6	0	0	0	1	10	26	15	54
AIDS deaths	Female	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Male	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	14	20	26
	Total1	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	14	21	26

1. Persons whose sex was reported as transgender are included in the totals.

Table 7. Cumulative diagnoses of HIV infection, AIDS and deaths following AIDS since the introduction of HIV antibody testing to 31 May 1999, by sex and State or Territory

		State or Territory								Australia
		ACT	NSW	NT	Qld	SA	Tas	Vic	WA
HIV diagnoses	Female	23	585	8	132	57	5	201	105	1,116
	Male	188	10,535	104	1,878	651	77	3,765	876	18,074
	Sex not reported	0	258	0	0	0	0	25	0	283
	Total1	211	11,397	112	2,017	708	82	4,004	984	19,515
AIDS diagnoses	Female	8	170	0	46	20	3	67	26	340
	Male	85	4,521	34	791	326	44	1,586	344	7,731
	Total1	93	4,703	34	839	346	47	1,660	372	8,094
AIDS deaths	Female	2	113	0	30	15	2	47	16	225
	Male	63	3,125	24	554	224	28	1,238	245	5,501
	Total1	65	3,246	24	586	239	30	1,291	262	5,743

1. Persons whose sex was reported as transgender are included in the totals.

This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 7, 8 July 1999.