Fortnight 15: 12 July to 25 July 2014

The Communicable Diseases Network Australia holds fortnightly teleconferences to share and evaluate the latest information and developments in communicable diseases surveillance. This report provides a fortnightly summary on diseases of current interest and notifications of Australia's nationally notifiable diseases.

Page last updated: 01 August 2014

Fortnight 15: 12 July 2014 to 25 July 2014

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Legionellosis

On 20 June 2014, a notification of Legionella sainthelensi (L. sainthelensi) was reported to the NNDSS from SA Health. This is the first recorded case of L. sainthelensi in Australia and is unlikely to be import related, however, at this stage the source of infection is unknown. Although interesting, this notification is not considered to be of public health significance. Transmission of this species is similar to other Legionella spp., occurring via the aspiration of contaminated water or other aerosols.

L. sainthelensi was discovered in 1981 following the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens in Washington, US. According to the literature, infection with L. sainthelensi in humans has previously been detected in nursing homes in Canada and in New Zealand.

Diphtheria

There was a case of cutaneous diphtheria notified from Queensland during this reporting period. The case was an older adult with unknown vaccination history who acquired their infection in Cambodia.

Diphtheria is a vaccine preventable disease and is now rare in Australia. All recent notifications have been associated with importation from countries where this disease remains endemic.

Travellers to countries where health services are difficult to access should ensure they are protected against diphtheria before departure. For adults, this additionally may include receiving a booster dose of a diphtheria containing vaccine. Further information on vaccination against diphtheria is available on the Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th Ed, 2013 website.

Influenza (laboratory confirmed)

During the season, a comprehensive analysis of influenza surveillance data is available in The Australian Influenza Surveillance Report which is published fortnightly on the Department of Health website.

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Interpretative Notes

Selected diseases are chosen each fortnight based on either exceeding two standard deviations from the 90 day and/or 365 day five year rolling mean or other disease issues of significance identified during the reporting period. All diseases reported are analysed by notification receive date. Data are extracted each Monday of a CDNA week.

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.

  1. The past quarter (90 day) surveillance period includes the date range 27 April 2014 to 25 July 2014.
  2. The quarterly (90 day) five year rolling mean is the average of 5 intervals of 90 days up to 25 July 2014. The ratio is the notification activity in the past quarter (90 days) compared with the five year rolling mean for the same period.
  3. The past year (365 day) surveillance period includes the date range 26 July 2013 to 25 July 2014.
  4. The yearly (365 day) five year rolling mean is the average of 5 intervals of 365 days up to 25 July 2014. The ratio is the notification activity in the past year (365 days) compared with the five year rolling mean for the same period.

The five year rolling mean and the ratio of notifications compared with the five year rolling mean should be interpreted with caution. Changes in surveillance practice, diagnostic techniques and reporting may contribute to increases or decreases in the total notifications received over a five year period. Ratios are to be taken as a crude measure of current disease activity and may reflect changes in reporting rather than changes in disease activity.

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Table of communicable disease notifications reported to the NNDSS for this fortnight

Please use the scroll bar located at the end of the table below to view all columns.

A copy of the table of communicable disease notifications for this fortnight is also included in the PDF printable version of the NNDSS report.

Notifications of Nationally Notifiable Diseases for the period 12/07/2014 to 25/07/2014

Footnotes:

Ratio of the 90 day prior surveillance period to the past 90 day 5 year rolling mean, or ratio of the 365 day prior surveillance period to the 365 day 5 year rolling mean.

NN = Not Notifiable, NDP = No Data Provided, NEC = Not Elsewhere Classified

Dates used are:

  • Past Quarter (90d prior surveillance period): 27/04/2014 to 25/07/2014
  • Quarterly rolling 5Yr Mean (90d 5Yr Mean):
  • Quarterly rolling 5Yr Mean (90d 5Yr Mean) 1: 27/04/2013 to 25/07/2013
  • Quarterly rolling 5Yr Mean (90d 5Yr Mean) 2: 27/04/2012 to 25/07/2012
  • Quarterly rolling 5Yr Mean (90d 5Yr Mean) 3: 27/04/2011 to 25/07/2011
  • Quarterly rolling 5Yr Mean (90d 5Yr Mean) 4: 27/04/2010 to 25/07/2010
  • Quarterly rolling 5Yr Mean (90d 5Yr Mean) 5: 27/04/2009 to 25/07/2009
  • Past year (365d prior surveillance period): 26/07/2013 to 25/07/2014
  • Yearly rolling 5Yr Mean (365d 5Yr Mean):
  • Yearly rolling 5Yr Mean (365d 5Yr Mean) 1: 26/07/2012 to 25/07/2013
  • Yearly rolling 5Yr Mean (365d 5Yr Mean) 2: 27/07/2011 to 25/07/2012
  • Yearly rolling 5Yr Mean (365d 5Yr Mean) 3: 26/07/2010 to 25/07/2011
  • Yearly rolling 5Yr Mean (365d 5Yr Mean) 4: 26/07/2009 to 25/07/2010
  • Yearly rolling 5Yr Mean (365d 5Yr Mean) 5: 26/07/2008 to 25/07/2009
State or Territory Totals for Australia Historical 90 Day Period Historical 365 Day Period
Disease ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA This
Reporting
Period		 Previous
Reporting
Period		 Same
Reporting
Period
Last Year		 2014 YTD Past
Quarter		 Quarterly
Rolling
5 year
mean		 Ratio
Past
Quarter
/5 year
mean		 Exceeds
Quarterly
rolling
mean +2
SD by		 Past
Year		 Yearly
rolling
5 year
mean		 Ratio
Past
year
/5 year
mean		 Exceeds
Yearly
rolling
mean +2
SD by;
Bloodborne diseases
Hepatitis (NEC) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Hepatitis B (newly acquired) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 106 39 48.8 0.8 - 176 218.8 0.8 -
Hepatitis B (unspecified) 5 89 0 38 10 2 57 29 230 281 293 3,756 1,697 1,717.4 1.0 - 6,839 6,744.8 1.0 -
Hepatitis C (newly acquired) 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 12 22 16 264 122 108.2 1.1 - 445 416.8 1.1 -
Hepatitis C (unspecified) 3 106 7 123 17 4 43 39 342 407 411 5,769 2,602 2,578.8 1.0 - 10,404 10,397.4 1.0 -
Hepatitis D 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 27 15 11.2 1.3 - 50 37.2 1.3 -
Gastrointestinal diseases
Botulism 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0.2 5.0 - 2 1.2 1.7 -
Campylobacteriosis 17 NN 8 257 67 20 213 97 679 704 527 10,779 4,841 3,575.0 1.4 520.7 17,744 16,088.8 1.1 -
Cryptosporidiosis 0 11 1 15 3 1 20 3 54 82 98 1,670 591 630.0 0.9 - 2,503 2,944.0 0.9 -
Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 16 5 3.4 1.5 - 22 15.8 1.4 -
Hepatitis A 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 5 131 34 52.8 0.6 - 201 270.6 0.7 -
Hepatitis E 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 26 14 8.0 1.8 2.8 38 36.4 1.0 -
Listeriosis 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 4 0 47 18 15.6 1.2 - 76 77.8 1.0 -
STEC, VTEC 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 5 1 85 34 18.4 1.8 6.9 185 107.4 1.7 28.2
Salmonellosis 4 107 12 122 29 3 109 42 428 440 354 10,341 3,837 2,378.6 1.6 840.1 15,218 11,137.0 1.4 1,418.5
Shigellosis 0 4 3 9 1 0 14 5 36 38 17 627 235 122.8 1.9 73.6 866 574.0 1.5 51.1
Typhoid Fever 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 1 4 73 22 24.6 0.9 - 118 122.6 1.0 -
Quarantinable diseases
Cholera 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1.8 0.6 - 4 4.6 0.9 -
HPAIH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Plague 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Rabies 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Smallpox 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Viral haemorrhagic fever (NEC) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Yellow fever 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Sexually transmissible infections
Chlamydial infection 47 697 78 791 161 65 562 368 2,769 3,406 3,039 49,208 21,521 19,418.0 1.1 - 85,029 74,511.8 1.1 -
Donovanosis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.2 0.0 - 1 0.8 1.3 -
Gonococcal infection 0 162 56 95 33 4 61 72 483 603 554 9,185 4,000 2,971.4 1.3 - 15,863 11,136.4 1.4 -
Syphilis - congenital 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.8 0.0 - 5 4.2 1.2 -
Syphilis < 2 years 0 1 1 10 4 0 12 5 33 41 71 1,014 418 362.0 1.2 - 1,817 1,362.2 1.3 70.4
Syphilis > 2 years or unspecified duration 3 3 1 3 5 1 33 3 52 50 78 938 386 380.6 1.0 - 1,658 1,395.4 1.2 42.0
Vaccine preventable diseases
Diphtheria 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0.8 1.3 - 2 1.0 2.0 -
Haemophilus influenzae type b 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 11 8 6.4 1.3 - 21 18.0 1.2 -
Influenza (laboratory confirmed) 40 1,347 12 1,140 323 29 393 387 3,671 1,901 1,307 13,441 8,682 11,616.8 0.7 - 35,039 31,706.6 1.1 -
Measles 1 3 0 1 0 3 2 3 13 18 1 274 85 21.8 3.9 38.1 397 119.2 3.3 176.6
Mumps 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 10 5 113 38 44.8 0.8 - 191 167.4 1.1 -
Pertussis 8 80 2 32 12 3 112 50 299 326 403 5,037 2,123 5,863.6 0.4 - 10,447 29,010.4 0.4 -
Pneumococcal disease (invasive) 0 36 2 30 6 1 11 13 99 93 85 771 491 538.4 0.9 - 1,515 1,708.6 0.9 -
Poliomyelitis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Rubella 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 10 3 9.8 0.3 - 27 39.0 0.7 -
Rubella Congenital 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 0.0 - 1 0.4 2.5 -
Tetanus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.8 0.0 - 1 3.8 0.3 -
Varicella zoster (Chickenpox)+ 2 NN 2 0 7 0 26 7 44 52 80 1,015 424 472.4 0.9 - 2,112 1,953.0 1.1 -
Varicella zoster (Shingles)+ 2 NN 11 0 59 7 38 37 154 186 169 3,025 1,286 953.8 1.3 - 5,256 3,636.4 1.4 -
Varicella zoster (Unspecified)+ 6 NN 0 231 42 11 112 53 455 409 413 6,156 2,682 1,904.4 1.4 242.9 10,822 7,500.0 1.4 969.6
Vectorborne diseases
Arbovirus infection (NEC) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 30 11 3.4 3.2 4.0 40 12.4 3.2 16.8
Barmah Forest virus infection 0 2 1 9 0 0 0 0 12 22 137 586 176 525.4 0.3 - 1,650 2,082.6 0.8 -
Dengue virus infection 0 5 0 5 4 2 0 13 29 49 100 1,153 378 291.8 1.3 - 1,835 1,279.4 1.4 -
Japanese encephalitis virus infection 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.4 0.0 - 2 0.8 2.5 -
Kunjin virus infection 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 0.0 - 2 1.4 1.4 -
Malaria 0 3 0 7 0 0 0 1 11 13 17 183 75 102.6 0.7 - 349 433.6 0.8 -
Murray Valley encephalitis virus infection 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.6 0.0 - 1 4.2 0.2 -
Ross River virus infection 0 14 12 40 4 0 0 32 102 130 110 3,211 1,162 1,125.0 1.0 - 4,582 4,813.6 1.0 -
Zoonoses
Anthrax 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.2 0.0 -
Australian bat lyssavirus 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.2 0.0 -
Brucellosis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 9 3 6.6 0.5 - 16 29.4 0.5 -
Leptospirosis 0 1 0 4 0 0 1 0 6 1 3 67 33 42.0 0.8 - 104 137.2 0.8 -
Lyssavirus (NEC) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 - 0 0.0 0.0 -
Ornithosis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 16 6 15.6 0.4 - 39 73.4 0.5 -
Q fever 0 7 0 2 1 0 0 0 10 8 18 281 102 96.6 1.1 - 477 365.4 1.3 32.2
Tularaemia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 0.0 - 0 0.5 0.0 -
Other bacterial infections
Legionellosis 0 4 0 2 1 0 1 4 12 10 24 218 97 96.6 1.0 - 480 340.6 1.4 36.0
Leprosy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 3 2.2 1.4 - 14 8.4 1.7 2.6
Meningococcal disease (invasive) 0 2 0 1 1 1 1 0 6 5 9 78 40 60.4 0.7 - 151 237.2 0.6 -
Tuberculosis 3 17 0 2 0 0 14 11 47 51 43 713 313 292.6 1.1 - 1,283 1,323.8 1.0 -
Totals 142 2,712 209 2,974 793 157 1,842 1,281 10,110 9,388 8,406 130,474 58,655    236,120   

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