Patients that meet the case definition criteria for any of the PAEDS conditions are included. PAEDS nurses obtain clinical information regarding the presentation as well as any medical history, immunisation status treatment and outcome. In some circumstances samples are collected for further clinical or public health investigation such as varicella zoster virus genotyping or stool testing of AFP cases for polio virus by the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory (VIDRL). All information is compiled and entered into a secure web-based data management system which allows for centralised data extraction and analysis. The PAEDS team is then able to utilise the nationally acquired data in producing timely reports and comprehensive publications that inform policy and practice.