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

NNDSS childhood vaccine preventable diseases | NNDSS table | Historic figure | Labvise table by organism | Labvise table by laboratory | ASPREN table

There were 5,062 notifications to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) in the four week period, 10 November to 7 December 1999 (Tables 1 and 2). The number of reports for selected diseases have been compared with historical data for corresponding periods in the previous three years (Figure 4).

There were 5,531 reports received by the Virology and Serology Laboratory Reporting Scheme (LabVISE) in the four week period, 4 November to 1 December 1999 (Tables 3 and 4).

The Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network (ASPREN) data for weeks 45 to 48, ending 5 December 1999, are included in this issue of CDI (Table 5).

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 10 November to 7 December 1999

Disease1	ACT	NSW	NT	Qld	SA	Tas	Vic	WA	This period 1999	This period 1998	Year to date 19992	Year to date 1998
Diphtheria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
H. influenzae type b infection	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	3	6	39	35
Measles	0	1	2	1	1	2	4	1	12	18	233	298
Mumps	0	0	0	0	1	0	7	2	10	20	169	171
Pertussis	9	88	0	76	16	90	178	12	469	432	4,005	6,153
Rubella3	0	2	0	11	0	1	8	0	22	40	363	749
Tetanus	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	7

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.

Top of page
Table 2. Notifications of diseases received by State and Territory health authorities in the period 10 November to 7 December 1999

Disease1,2,3	ACT	NSW	NT	Qld	SA	Tas	Vic	WA	This period 1999	This period 1998	Year to date 19994	Year to date 1998
Arbovirus infection (NEC)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	9	71	67
Barmah Forest virus infection	0	3	1	19	0	0	0	5	28	36	596	526
Brucellosis	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0	5	4	50	43
Campylobacteriosis5	25	-	14	221	194	45	270	135	904	1,617	11,817	12,414
Chancroid	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Chlamydial infection (NEC)6,7	28	95	61	273	98	20	246	129	950	1,080	12,969	10,686
Cholera	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	4
Dengue	0	0	4	2	0	0	0	1	7	70	176	502
Donovanosis7	0	0	0	0	NN	0	0	0	0	1	17	31
Gonococcal infection8	1	82	104	87	11	3	87	60	435	493	5,273	5,028
Haemolytic uraemic syndrome9	NN	0	0	0	1	0	NN	0	1	1	16	13
Hepatitis A	0	10	15	9	9	0	37	18	98	122	1,515	2,445
Hepatitis B incident	0	2	8	1	3	0	3	6	23	23	277	251
Hepatitis B unspecified10	5	101	0	68	0	0	2	15	191	603	6,546	6,240
Hepatitis C incident	1	1	0	-	8	0	6	13	29	39	309	319
Hepatitis C unspecified10	14	329	11	255	88	21	288	58	1,064	1,612	19,115	18,096
Hepatitis (NEC)11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	NN	0	2	20	17
Hydatid infection	0	NN	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	5	29	42
Legionellosis	0	0	0	6	4	0	3	2	15	27	234	252
Leprosy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	2
Leptospirosis	0	7	0	3	0	0	9	3	22	22	323	180
Listeriosis	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	3	5	59	53
Malaria	3	3	7	11	3	1	5	5	38	43	670	670
Meningococcal infection	0	7	0	6	2	0	11	7	33	31	524	425
Ornithosis	0	NN	0	NN	0	0	8	0	8	16	78	49
Q fever	0	10	0	25	0	0	1	1	37	53	479	540
Ross River virus infection	0	5	1	38	0	0	8	39	91	237	4,273	2,771
Salmonellosis (NEC)	5	48	15	142	20	7	83	38	358	580	6,832	7,294
Shigellosis5	0	-	5	5	3	0	8	4	25	47	527	580
SLTEC, VTEC12	NN	0	0	NN	11	0	NN	NN	11	0	34	9
Syphilis13	1	30	33	52	1	2	0	0	119	135	1,819	1,512
TTP14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
Tuberculosis	1	21	4	4	0	1	0	8	39	82	773	911
Typhoid15	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	2	1	63	64
Yersiniosis (NEC)5	0	-	0	6	2	0	0	0	8	9	141	195

1. Diseases preventable by routine childhood immunisation are presented in Table 1.
2. For HIV and AIDS, see Tables 8, 9, 10 and 11.
3. No notifications have been received during 1999 for the following rare diseases: lymphogranuloma venereum, plague, rabies, yellow fever, or other viral haemorrhagic fevers.
4. 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.
5. Not reported for NSW because it is only notifiable as 'foodborne disease' or 'gastroenteritis in an institution'.
6. WA: genital only.
7. Notifications from NSW have been received since September 1998, and were first reported in CDI in Issue 23(9).
8. NT, Qld, SA and Vic: includes gonococcal neonatal ophthalmia.
9. Nationally reportable from August 1998.
10. Unspecified numbers should be interpreted with some caution 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.

Top of page
Figure 4. Selected National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System reports, and historical data

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 page

Table 3. Virology and serology laboratory reports by State or Territory¹ for the reporting period 4 November to 1 December 1999, and total reports for the year

	State or Territory1								Total this period	Total reported in 19992,3
	ACT	NSW	NT	Qld	SA	Tas	Vic	WA
Measles, mumps, rubella
Measles virus					1		2	1	4	181
Mumps virus							1	3	4	55
Rubella virus		4		67	1	1			73	144
Hepatitis viruses
Hepatitis A virus			25	31	13		1	4	74	381
Hepatitis D virus				1	1				2	6
Arboviruses
Ross River virus		11	13	148		1	1	11	185	1,354
Barmah Forest virus		2		36				1	39	165
Dengue not typed					1			2	3	55
Flavivirus (unspecified)			1	1					2	23
Adenoviruses
Adenovirus type 3					1		1		2	32
Adenovirus type 5							2		2	6
Adenovirus type 7							1		1	4
Adenovirus type 19							1		1	3
Adenovirus type 40								9	9	76
Adenovirus not typed/pending		21		12	32		19	42	126	1,195
Herpes viruses
Herpes virus type 6								1	1	12
Cytomegalovirus		37		106	49		29	14	235	1,177
Varicella-zoster virus		18	15	248	12		63	32	388	1,665
Epstein-Barr virus		29	14	550	106	1	13	17	730	2,339
Other DNA viruses
Parvovirus		1		33	8		18	8	68	443
Picornavirus family
Coxsackievirus A9		1	1						2	10
Coxsackievirus B1							1		1	1
Coxsackievirus B2		1				1			2	4
Coxsackievirus B4		1							1	3
Coxsackievirus B5		2					1		3	8
Echovirus type 3		2							2	2
Echovirus type 9		1					1		2	49
Echovirus type 11		20					1		21	172
Echovirus type 30		1	1						2	29
Poliovirus type 1 (uncharacterised)		5			1				6	28
Poliovirus type 2 (uncharacterised)		3							3	23
Poliovirus type 3 (uncharacterised)		3							3	10
Rhinovirus (all types)		54			6		4	6	70	487
Enterovirus type 71 (BCR)							3		3	20
Enterovirus not typed/pending		5	2	14			12	16	49	768
Ortho/paramyxoviruses
Influenza A virus		9	1	142	25		14	15	206	1,835
Influenza B virus		1		13	8		7	1	30	267
Parainfluenza virus type 1		2		1			1		4	45
Parainfluenza virus type 2				2	4		1		7	110
Parainfluenza virus type 3		23	2	40	12		18	49	144	888
Respiratory syncytial virus		38	2	182	26	1	26	35	310	3,078
Other RNA viruses
HTLV-1								2	2	14
Rotavirus		61			75		52	50	238	2,204
Norwalk agent							2		2	70
Other
Chlamydia trachomatis not typed		62	116	653	56		6	44	937	3,149
Chlamydia pneumoniae								1	1	2
Chlamydia psittaci							6		6	84
Chlamydia species		3		4					7	19
Mycoplasma pneumoniae		11	1	232	18		43	3	308	1,176
Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)		9	1	72					82	208
Streptococcus group A		9	47	193					249	315
Yersinia enterocolitica		1		1					2	11
Brucella species				5					5	8
Bordetella pertussis		5		258		1	42	2	308	763
Legionella longbeachae					1			2	3	43
Cryptococcus species		2							2	8
Leptospira species		2		20				3	25	49
Treponema pallidum		13	306	212					531	673
Entamoeba histolytica				2				1	3	5
Total	0	473	548	3,279	457	6	393	375	5,531	25,954

1. State or Territory of postcode, if reported, otherwise State or Territory of reporting laboratory.
2. In 1999, data from the Institute of Clinical Pathology and Clinical Research, Westmead were under reported up to September.
3. Totals comprise data from all laboratories. 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.

Top of page
Table 4. Virology and serology laboratory reports by contributing laboratories for the reporting period 4 November to 1 December 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	90 162 40
Queensland	Queensland Medical Laboratory, West End Townsville General Hospital	4,019 9
South Australia	Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide	454
Victoria	Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Fairfield	34 158 190
Western Australia	PathCentre Virology, Perth Princess Margaret Hospital, Perth	284 91
Total		5,531

Top of page

Table 5. Australian Sentinel Practice Research Network reports, weeks 45 to 48, 1999

Week number	45		46		47		48
Week ending on	14 November 1999		21 November 1999		28 November 1999		5 December 1999
Doctors reporting	60		58		58		51
Total encounters	7,243		6,631		6,913		5,941
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	31	4.3	23	3.5	20	2.9	17	2.9
Rubella	0	0.0	1	0.2	0	0.0	0	0.0
Measles	0	0.0	1	0.2	1	0.1	1	0.2
Chickenpox	11	1.5	9	1.4	14	2.0	13	2.2
New diagnosis of asthma	13	1.8	18	2.7	13	1.9	3	0.5
Post operative wound sepsis	10	1.4	3	0.5	7	1.0	2	0.3
Gastroenteritis	76	10.5	86	13.0	85	12.3	84	14.1

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 legislation. 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. 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 13, 23 December 1999.