Communicable Diseases Surveillance - Additional reports

This report published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 7, 8 July 1999 contains quarterly reports and data from a number of disease surveillance programs which report regularly to CDI.

Page last updated: 08 July 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 (Figure 4). 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 May 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

Laboratory surveillance

Figure 5 shows the number of laboratory reports for 1998 and 1999. Data for 1999 is provided only for January to May. For the year to date there have been 354 laboratory reports of influenza. Of these 290 (82%) were influenza A and 64 (18%) were influenza B (Figure 6). Of the influenza A that have been typed, 7 strains have been characterised as influenza H3N2 and 2 strains as influenza H1N1.

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

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

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

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

Figure 7. Absenteeism rates in Australia Post, 1999

Figure 7. Absenteeism rates in Australia Post, 1999

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 28 February 1999, as reported to 31 May 1999, are included in this issue of Commun Dis Intell (Tables 6 and 7).

Table 6. New diagnoses of HIV infection, new diagnoses of AIDS and deaths following AIDS occurring in the period 1 to 28 February 1999, by sex and State or Territory of diagnosis

State or Territory Totals for Australia
ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA This period 1999 This period 1998 Year to date 1999 Year to date 1998
HIV diagnoses Female
1
3
0
1
0
0
2
0
7
7
10
10
  Male
0
18
0
8
1
0
8
2
37
56
79
118
  Sex not reported
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
2
  Total1
1
21
0
9
1
0
10
2
44
65
90
130
AIDS diagnoses Female
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
2
  Male
0
2
1
5
0
0
0
1
9
26
14
52
  Total1
0
2
1
6
0
0
0
1
10
26
15
54
AIDS deaths Female
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
  Male
0
3
0
1
0
0
0
0
4
14
20
26
  Total1
0
3
0
1
0
0
0
0
4
14
21
26

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


Table 7. Cumulative diagnoses of HIV infection, AIDS and deaths following AIDS since the introduction of HIV antibody testing to 31 May 1999, by sex and State or Territory

  State or Territory Australia
  ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA
HIV diagnoses Female 23 585 8 132 57 5 201 105 1,116
Male 188 10,535 104 1,878 651 77 3,765 876 18,074
Sex not reported 0 258 0 0 0 0 25 0 283
Total1 211 11,397 112 2,017 708 82 4,004 984 19,515
AIDS diagnoses Female 8 170 0 46 20 3 67 26 340
Male 85 4,521 34 791 326 44 1,586 344 7,731
Total1 93 4,703 34 839 346 47 1,660 372 8,094
AIDS deaths Female 2 113 0 30 15 2 47 16 225
Male 63 3,125 24 554 224 28 1,238 245 5,501
Total1 65 3,246 24 586 239 30 1,291 262 5,743

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



This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 23, No 7, 8 July 1999.

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This issue - Vol 23, No 7, 8 July 1999