Communicable Diseases Surveillance - Additional reports

This report published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 8, 5 August 1999 contains quarterly reports and data from a number of disease surveillance programs which report regularly to CDI.

Page last updated: 17 August 1999

A print friendly PDF version is available from this Communicable Diseases Intelligence issue's table of contents.




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. 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 June 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

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

Figure 5 shows the number of laboratory reports for 1998 and 1999. Data for 1999 is provided only for January to July. For the year to date there have been 735 laboratory reports of influenza.

To July 1999, there have been 649 (88.3%) reports of influenza A of which 17 were H3N2 and 2 were H1N1 (Figure 6). There were 86 (11.7%) reports of influenza B. To date there has been no lodging of influenza reports in week 30.

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

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

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

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

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). There are no changes in the reports of absenteeism since the previous report.

Figure 7. Absenteeism rates in Australia Post, 1999

Figure 7. Absenteeism rates in Australia Post, 1999

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Sentinel Chicken Surveillance Programme

Sentinel chicken flocks are used to monitor flavivirus activity in Australia. The main viruses of concern are Murray Valley encephalitis (MVE) and Kunjin which cause the potentially fatal disease Australian encephalitis in humans. Currently 26 flocks are maintained in the north of Western Australia, seven in the Northern Territory, nine in New South Wales and ten in Victoria. The flocks in Western Australia and the Northern Territory are tested year round but those in New South Wales and Victoria are tested only from November to March, during the main risk season.

Results are coordinated by the Arbovirus Laboratory in Perth and reported bimonthly. For more information see Commun Dis Intell 1999;23:57-58.

AK Broom,1 JS Mackenzie,2 L Melville,3 DW Smith4 and PI Whelan5

1. Department of Microbiology, The University of Western Australia
2. Department of Microbiology, The University of Queensland
3. Berrimah Agricultural Research Centre, Northern Territory
4. PathCentre, Western Australia
5. Department of Health and Community Services, Northern Territory


May/June 1999

Sentinel chicken serology was carried out for 24 of the 27 flocks in Western Australia in May and June 1999. There were again a large number of seroconversions to flaviviruses in the Kimberley, Pilbara and Gascoyne flocks during this period. Twenty-five of the total 34 seroconversions occurred in May 1999. The number of chickens positive for flavivirus antibodies by ELISA and the virus (or viruses) they were infected with is shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Flavivirus seroconversions in Western Australian sentinel chicken flocks in May and June, 1999

Location
May 1999 June 1999
  MVE KUN MVE/KUN MVE
Kimberley
 
 
 
 
Kalumburu
 
1
1
 
Wyndham
1
 
 
 
Kununurra
1
 
 
 
Fitzroy Crossing
4
 
 
 
Lombadina
1
1
 
 
Derby*
2
 
 
 
Broome*
2
 
 
 
Pilbara
 
 
 
 
Port Hedland
 
 
 
1
Karratha
 
1
 
1
Harding Dam*
 
 
 
3
Tom Price
1
 
 
 
Paraburdoo
2
 
 
1
Newman*
 
 
1
 
Exmouth
3
 
 
3
Gascoyne
 
 
 
 
Carnarvon
3
 
 
 

* 2 flocks of 12 chickens at these sites
MVE Antibodies to Murray Valley encephalitis virus detected by ELISA
KUN Antibodies to Kunjin virus detected by ELISA
MVE/KUN Antibodies to both MVE and KUN viruses detected by ELISA
FLAVI Antibodies to a flavivirus only (not MVE or KUN) detected by ELISA


Serum samples from six of the seven Northern Territory sentinel chicken flocks were tested in our laboratory in May and June 1999. There were seroconversions to flaviviruses at Howard Springs and Leanyer (Darwin area) and from Beatrice Hill Farm and Tennant Creek. The number of chickens positive for flavivirus antibodies by ELISA and the virus (or viruses) they were infected with is shown in Table 7. Seroconversions to MVE virus from Tennant Creek in May have not yet been confirmed.

Table 7. Flavivirus seroconversions in the Northern Territory sentinel chicken flocks in May and June, 1999

Location
May 1999 June 1999
  MVE KUN MVE KUN MVE/KUN FLAVI
Howard Springs
1
 
 
 
 
 
Leanyer
 
1
 
1
1
1
Beatrice Hill
3
 
2
 
 
 
Tennant Creek
2
 
 
 
 
 

MVE Antibodies to Murray Valley encephalitis virus detected by ELISA
KUN Antibodies to Kunjin virus detected by ELISA
MVE/KUN Antibodies to both MVE and KUN viruses detected by ELISA
FLAVI Antibodies to a flavivirus only (not MVE or KUN) detected by ELISA


Details of the locations of all chicken flocks are given in CDI 1999;23:57-58.

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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 31 March 1999, as reported to 30 June 1999, are included in this issue of Commun Dis Intell[(Tables 8 and 9).

Table 8. New diagnoses of HIV infection, new diagnoses of AIDS and deaths following AIDS occurring in the period 1 to 31 March 1999, by sex and State or Territory of diagnosis

ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA Totals for Australia
This period 1999 This period 1998 Year to date 1999 Year to date 1998
HIV diagnoses Female
0
3
0
2
0
0
1
2
8
10
18
20
  Male
0
35
1
9
1
0
10
3
59
66
138
184
  Sex not reported
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
2
2
  Total1
0
38
1
11
1
0
12
5
68
76
158
206
AIDS diagnoses Female
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
3
  Male
0
5
0
1
0
0
0
0
6
20
20
72
  Total1
0
6
0
1
0
0
0
0
7
21
22
75
AIDS deaths Female
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
3
  Male
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
4
8
25
34
  Total1
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
4
10
26
37

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


Table 9. Cumulative diagnoses of HIV infection, AIDS and deaths following AIDS since the introduction of HIV antibody testing to 30 June 1999, by sex and State or Territory

State or Territory Australia
ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA
HIV diagnoses Female
23
587
8
134
57
5
202
107
1,123
Male
188
10,569
105
1,888
652
77
3,775
878
18,132
Sex not reported
0
258
0
0
0
0
26
0
284
Total1
211
11,433
113
2,029
709
82
4,016
988
19,581
AIDS diagnoses Female
8
171
0
46
21
3
67
26
342
Male
85
4,526
34
792
327
44
1,586
344
7,738
Total1
93
4,709
34
840
348
47
1,660
372
8,103
AIDS deaths Female
2
113
0
30
15
2
47
16
225
Male
63
3,126
24
554
225
28
1,246
245
5,511
Total1
65
3,247
24
586
240
30
1,299
262
5,753

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



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Childhood immunisation coverage

Tables 10 and 11 provide the latest quarterly report on childhood immunisation coverage from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR).

The data show the percentage of children fully immunised at age 12 months for the cohort born between 1 January and 31 March 1998 and at 24 months of age for the cohort born between 1 January and 31 March 1997, according to the Australian Standard Vaccination Schedule.

A full description of the methodology used can be found in Commun Dis Intell 1998;22:36-37.

Table 10. Percentage of children immunised at 1 year of age, preliminary results by disease and State for the birth cohort 1 January to 31 March 1998; assessment date 30 June 1999

Vaccine
State or Territory Australia
ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA
Total number of children
1,070
21,453
982
12,233
4,697
1,541
14,848
6,195
63,019
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (%)
89.5
85.3
79.7
89.4
89.7
88.3
89.1
87.4
87.6
Poliomyelitis (%)
89.3
85.0
79.1
88.8
89.6
88.3
89.3
87.2
87.3
Haemophilus influenzae type b (%)
89.2
84.7
84.9
89.7
89.1
88.0
88.8
87.1
87.4
Fully immunised (%)
88.7
83.5
77.3
88.0
88.6
87.7
87.9
85.9
86.1
Change in fully immunised since last quarter (%)
+1.0
+0.8
+2.7
+1.5
+1.1
+0.5
+1.4
+1.5
+1.2


Table 11. Proportion of children immunised at 2 years of age, preliminary results by disease and State for the birth cohort 1 January to 31 March 1997; assessment date 30 June 1999

Vaccine
State or Territory Australia
ACT NSW NT1 Qld SA Tas Vic WA
Total number of children
1051
22,006
946
11,888
4,628
1,558
15,454
6,475
64,006
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (%)
86.2
81.3
67.7
85.5
83.2
83.6
83.6
82.0
82.8
Poliomyelitis (%)
88.9
85.6
79.9
91.0
88.4
89.5
89.3
85.3
87.7
Haemophilus influenzae type b (%)
85.4
81.3
77.2
85.8
81.3
83.3
83.6
82.2
82.8
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (%)
89.7
85.9
81.8
90.9
88.0
89.0
88.6
86.7
87.8
Fully immunised (%)2
81.4
70.4
57.8
80.3
71.6
74.8
74.7
70.5
73.5
Change in fully immunised since last quarter (%)
+3.7
+3.5
+3.2
+2.8
+3.5
+3.2
+2.7
+4.5
+3.2

1. The 12 months age data for this cohort was published in Commun Dis Intell 1998;22:233.
2. These data relating to 2 year old children should be considered as preliminary. The proportions shown as 'fully immunised' appear low when compared with the proportions for individual vaccines. This is at least partly due to poor identification of children on immunisation encounter forms.
Acknowledgement: These figures were provided by the Health Insurance Commission (HIC), to specifications provided by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. For further information on these figures or data on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register please contact the Immunisation Section of the HIC: Telephone 02 6124 6607.



This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 8, 5 August 1999.

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This issue - Vol 23, No 8, 5 August 1999