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Paul Roche

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Roche.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Australia's notifiable diseases status, 2000. Annual report of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

In 2000, there were 89,740 notifications of communicable diseases in Australia collected by the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). The number of notifications in 2000 was an increase of 5.9 per cent over those reported in 1999 (84,743) and the largest reporting year since the NNDSS commenced in 1991. Notifications in 2000 consisted of 28,341 bloodborne infections (32% of total), 24,319 sexually transmitted infections (27%), 21,303 gastrointestinal infections (24%), 6,617 vaccine preventable infections (7%), 6,069 vectorborne infections (7%), 2,121 other bacterial infections (legionellosis, meningococcal infection, leprosy and tuberculosis) (2%), 969 zoonotic infections (1%) and only one case of a quarantinable infection. Steep declines in some childhood vaccine preventable diseases such as Haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, mumps and rubella, continued in 2000. In contrast, notifications of pertussis and legionellosis increased sharply in the year. Notifications of bloodborne viral diseases (particularly hepatitis B and hepatitis C) and some sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, continue to increase in Australia. This report also summarises data on communicable diseases from other surveillance systems including the Laboratory Virology and Serology Surveillance Scheme (LabVISE) and sentinel general practitioner schemes. In addition this report comments on other important developments in communicable disease control in Australia in 2000.

Australia↗

Annual report of the National Influenza Surveillance Scheme, 2001.

Surveillance of influenza in Australia in 2001 was based on data from national and state-based sentinel practice consultations for influenza-like illness, laboratory isolations of influenza virus and absenteeism rates from a national employer. In 2001, laboratory-confirmed influenza became a notifiable disease and was reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). Influenza A was the dominant type, 81 per cent of which were subtype H1N1 and 19 per cent were subtype H3N2. The influenza A (H1N1) analysed were all A/New Caledonia/20/99-like strains. The H3N2 isolates were antigenically similar to the reference strain A/Moscow/10/99 and the vaccine strain A/Panama/2007/99. The influenza B isolates, which made up only 10 per cent of all isolates, were mainly B/Sichuan/379/99-like strains but 10 per cent of isolates were more closely related to B/Harbin/7/94-like viruses, which circulated in previous years. The Australian 2001 influenza vaccine represented a good match for the circulating viruses and 77 per cent of persons over 65 years in Australia were vaccinated in 2001.

Aged↗

Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2000.

Australia has one of the lowest incidences of tuberculosis (TB) in the world. The annual incidence rate has remained stable at between 5 and 6 per 100,000 population, since 1991. In 2000, there were 1,060 TB notifications in Australia, of which 1,004 were newly diagnosed cases and 56 were relapse cases. The corresponding incidence rate for new and relapsed TB was 5.2 and 0.3 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. The highest incidence of TB disease in Australia continues to be among the overseas-born (18.0 per 100,000 population) and Indigenous Australians (15.3 per 100,000 population). By contrast, the incidence of disease in the non-indigenous Australian-born population remains low (1.2 per 100,000 population).

Adolescent↗

The Laboratory Virology and Serology Reporting Scheme, 1991 to 2000.

Between 1991 and 2000, the Laboratory Virology and Serology Surveillance Scheme (LabVISE) received 340,730 laboratory reports of viral and non-viral pathogen identifications. In this report, data on 136 viruses and 31 non-viral pathogens is analysed. The age and sex distribution and seasonal fluctuations in infections are described. The major clinical diseases associated with LabVISE pathogens are reviewed together with a survey of recent activity reported in Australia. The contribution of LabVISE over the 10-year period to surveillance of poliomyelitis in Australia, up to and beyond the eradication goal, is described. The contribution of LabVISE to influenza surveillance and control in Australia is also described. Prospects for the continued role of LabVISE in the surveillance and control of viral meningitis, viral gastroenteritis and viral respiratory diseases are reviewed.

Adolescent↗

Enhancing foodborne disease surveillance across Australia in 2001: the OzFoodNet Working Group.

In 2000, the OzFoodNet network was established to enhance surveillance of foodborne diseases across Australia. OzFoodNet consists of 7 sites and covers 68 per cent of Australia's population. During 2001, sites reported 15,815 cases of campylobacteriosis, 6,607 cases of salmonellosis, 326 cases of shigellosis, 71 cases of yersiniosis, 61 cases of listeriosis, 47 cases of shiga-toxin producing E. coli and 5 cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Sites reported 86 foodborne outbreaks affecting 1,768 people, of whom 4.0 per cent (70/1,768) were hospitalised and one person died. There was a wide range of foods implicated in these outbreaks and the most common agent was S. Typhimurium. Sites reported two international outbreaks; one of multi-drug resistant S. Typhimurium Definitive Type 104 due to helva imported from Turkey, and one of S. Stanley associated with dried peanuts from China. The National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health conducted a national survey of gastroenteritis. Preliminary data from interviews of 2,417 people suggests that the incidence of foodborne illness is significantly higher than previously thought. OzFoodNet initiated case control studies into risk factors for Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria, and shiga-toxin producing E. coli. OzFoodNet developed a foodborne disease outbreak register for Australia; established a network of laboratories to type Campylobacter; prepared a survey of pathology laboratories; reviewed Australian data on listeriosis; and assessed the usefulness of sentinel surveillance for gastroenteritis. This program of enhanced surveillance has demonstrated its capacity to nationally investigate and determine the causes of foodborne disease.

Adolescent↗

Invasive pneumococcal disease in Australia, 2001.

There were 1,681 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) notified to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System in Australia in 2001; a rate of 8.6 cases per 100,000 population. The notification rate varied between states and territories and by geographical region with the highest rates in the north of the country. Pneumococcal disease was reported most frequently in children aged less than 5 years (47.3 cases per 100,000 population). Enhanced surveillance for IPD was carried out in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and metropolitan areas of New South Wales, encompassing 72 per cent of the population and providing additional data on 86 per cent of all notified cases. Enhanced surveillance data revealed high rates of pneumococcal disease in Indigenous Australians. Rates of IPD in Indigenous children aged less than 5 years were as high as 483 cases per 100,000 population in the Northern Territory. The clinical presentation of IPD was most commonly pneumonia (56%) and bacteraemia (36%). There were 125 deaths attributed to IPD resulting in an overall case fatality rate of 8.6 per cent. More than half (54%) of all cases had a recognised risk factor for IPD. Eighty-six per cent of serotypes identified in non-indigenous children compared with only 55% of serotypes in Indigenous children were in the 7-valent vaccine. Antibiotic susceptibility testing showed reduced susceptibility to penicillin in 12 per cent, and to third generation cephalosporins in 5 per cent of isolates. These are the first national data available on IPD in Australia and will assist in evaluating the impact of the newly introduced conjugate vaccine and guide overall pneumococcal vaccine strategies.

Adolescent↗