Communicable Diseases Surveillance - Tables

This report published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 2, 18 February 1999 contains an analysis and tables of monthly notifiable diseases and laboratory data, and quarterly surveillance reports.

Page last updated: 24 March 1999

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




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.


Top of page
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.

Top of page
Figure 4. Selected National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System reports, and historical data1

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 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

Top of page
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.

Communicable Diseases Intelligence subscriptions

Sign-up to email updates: Subscribe Now

This issue - Vol 23, No 2, 18 February 1999