Communicable Diseases Surveillance - Additional reports

This report published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 22, No 11, 29 October 1998 contains an analysis and tables of monthly notifiable diseases and laboratory data, and quarterly surveillance reports.

Page last updated: 04 November 1998

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


National Influenza Surveillance, 1998

Three types of data are included in National Influenza Surveillance, 1998. 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 1998;22:83.

Sentinel General Practitioner Surveillance

Reports of influenza-like illness reported by the ASPREN, Tropical Influenza Surveillance Scheme (Northern Territory, Top End) and the Victorian and New South Wales Sentinel Practitioner Schemes have declined over the month of September. Peak activity was reported by the ASPREN and the Victorian Sentinel Practitioner Schemes in July, and by the New South Wales and Tropical Surveillance Schemes in August (Figure 4). The peak number of reports for this year has been lower across all schemes compared to 1997.

Figure 4. Sentinel general practitioner consultation rates 1998, by week and scheme

Figure 4. Sentinel general practitioner consultation rates 1998, by week and scheme

Laboratory Surveillance

There have been 2540 laboratory reports of influenza for the year to date. Of these, 2415 (95%) are influenza A and 125 (5 %) influenza B. Weekly reports of influenza A peaked in late July and early August (Figure 5). The number of influenza A reports for this year is greater than those reported over the same period for all years dating back to 1993. 754 (31%) of influenza A and 3 (2.4%) of influenza B laboratory reports have been in children less than 4 years of age (Figure 6). 52 (41%) of all influenza B reports have been in those over the age of 65 years. Ninety-two (74%) of influenza B reports are from South Australia and 21(16%) from Western Australia, with relatively few influenza B reports from laboratories in the east and north of Australia (Figure 7).
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Figure 5. Influenza laboratory reports, 1998, by virus type and week of specimen collection

Figure 5. Influenza laboratory reports, 1998, by virus type and week of specimen collection

Figure 6. Influenza A and B laboratory reports, 1998, by age group

Figure 6. Influenza A and B laboratory reports, 1998, by age group

Figure 7. Influenza A and B laboratory reports, 1998, by State and Territory

Figure 7. Influenza A and B laboratory reports, 1998, by State and Territory

The WHO Centre for Reference and Research has received 678 isolates of influenza A and 16 of influenza B for the year to date. All the influenza A viruses analysed have been H3N2 strains related to A/Sydney /5/97. One influenza B strain has been identified as B/Beijing/184/93-like. Thirty percent of influenza A strains analysed have shown reduced reactivity with A/Sydney/5/97 antiserum but this does not appear to indicate antigenic shift. A representative sample of these low avidity cell cultured strains regained reactivity with specific antisera when directly isolated in eggs.

Absenteeism surveillance

Rates of absenteeism in Australia Post employees for three consecutive days of each week have been reported on a weekly basis since late April. Absenteeism rates for the year have averaged 0.23% per week. Rates for September have averaged 0.15% which is slightly lower than what has been observed since April.
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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, 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.

HIV and AIDS diagnoses and deaths following AIDS reported for 1 to 31 May 1998, as reported to 31 August 1998, are included in this issue of CDI (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 31 May 1998, by sex and State or Territory of diagnosis

  Totals for Australia
  ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA This period 1998 This period 1997 Year to date 1998 Year to date 1997
HIV diagnoses Female
1
2
0
2
0
0
1
1
7
5
33
33
  Male
1
23
2
7
5
0
9
1
48
52
287
320
  Sex not reported
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
8
10
  Total1
2
27
2
9
5
0
10
2
57
58
328
364
AIDS diagnoses Female
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
5
15
  Male
1
9
1
1
1
0
0
0
13
20
76
139
  Total1
2
9
1
1
1
0
0
0
14
22
81
154
AIDS deaths Female
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
7
  Male
0
3
0
1
2
0
1
0
7
17
35
106
  Total1
0
3
0
1
2
0
1
0
7
19
37
113

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 1998, by sex and State or Territory.

    ACT NSW NT Qld SA Tas Vic WA Australia
HIV diagnoses Female
22
552
7
128
52
4
194
88
1,047
  Male
183
10,318
96
1,821
633
77
3,728
857
17,713
  Sex not reported
0
263
0
0
0
0
25
0
288
  Total1
205
11,152
103
1,955
685
81
3,958
948
19,087
AIDS diagnoses Female
8
159
0
45
19
2
64
23
320
  Male
82
4,373
32
766
321
41
1,527
337
7,479
  Total1
90
4,543
32
813
340
43
1,598
362
7,821
AIDS deaths Female
2
112
0
28
14
2
45
16
219
  Male
62
3,049
23
529
219
27
1,205
241
5,355
  Total1
64
3,168
23
559
233
29
1,256
258
5,590

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



This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 22, No 11, 29 October 1998.

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This issue - Vol 22, No 11, 29 October 1998