An outbreak of enterovirus 71 in metropolitan Sydney: enhanced surveillance and lessons learnt.

Objective: To report the findings of the enhanced surveillance set up in New South Wales in response to the recent outbreak of human enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection.

Design And Setting: A two-armed enhanced public health surveillance system including statewide emergency department surveillance and clinical surveillance at the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.

Participants: Children aged less than 10 years with suspected or confirmed enterovirus infection.

A state-wide information campaign during a pertussis epidemic in New South Wales, 2010.

Pertussis notifications increased dramatically in New South Wales in 2008, exceeding the rates in previous epidemic years. A state-wide, multi-faceted campaign was launched in March 2009 to provide information about pertussis prevention. A population-based survey was conducted using a Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing facility to assess the effectiveness of sending letters to households with young infants.

Infectious diseases in returned travellers, NSW, 2010-2011.

Aim: To quantify the proportion of selected notified diseases in NSW attributable to overseas travel and assess the quality of data on travel-associated risk factors, to inform prevention strategies.

Methods: 2010 and 2011 notification data for dengue, hepatitis A, hepatitis E, malaria, paratyphoid fever, shigellosis and typhoid fever were extracted from the NSW Notifiable Conditions Information Management System and analysed for travel-associated risk factors.

Results: Where place of acquisition was known, the proportion of cases for whom the disease was acquired overseas ranged from 48.

EpiReview: tuberculosis in NSW, 2009-2011.

Aim: To describe the epidemiology of tuberculosis in NSW between 2009 and 2011 and compare with previous years.

Methods: Data from all cases of tuberculosis notified in NSW during this period were extracted from the Notifiable Conditions Information Management System. Descriptive analyses of notification data were undertaken.

Case-control study of risk factors for hospitalization caused by pandemic (H1N1) 2009.

We conducted a case-control study to identify risk factors for hospitalization from pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection among persons >16 years of age in Sydney, Australia. The study comprised 302 case-patients and 603 controls. In a logistic regression model, after adjusting for age and sex, risk factors for hospitalization were pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 22.

Outbreaks of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal influenza A (H3N2) on cruise ship.

To determine the extent and pattern of influenza transmission and effectiveness of containment measures, we investigated dual outbreaks of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and influenza A (H3N2) that had occurred on a cruise ship in May 2009. Of 1,970 passengers and 734 crew members, 82 (3.0%) were infected with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus, 98 (3.

EpiReview: tuberculosis in NSW, 2008.

Aim: To describe the epidemiology of tuberculosis cases notified in NSW in 2008.

Method: Data on tuberculosis cases resident in NSW that were reported in 2008 were extracted from the Notifiable Diseases Database. Demographic, microbiological, clinical and other characteristics of cases were described.

Review of the 2008-2009 pertussis epidemic in NSW: notifications and hospitalisations.

In 2008 and 2009 increased numbers of pertussis notifications were reported in NSW. During the epidemic period, the pertussis notification rate was 2.7 times higher than the previous 5-year average.

Investigation of equine influenza transmission in NSW: walk, wind or wing?

Objectives: An outbreak of equine influenza occurred in New South Wales in 2007. In addition to the local spread of the disease between bordering properties, windborne spread over several kilometres had been postulated as a possible method of transmission in this outbreak. This study aimed to describe potential modes of transmission for a property infected with equine influenza where no apparent epidemiological links to other infected properties were reported.

Vaccine failures and vaccine effectiveness in children during measles outbreaks in New South Wales, March-May 2006.

During March to May 2006 the highest incidence of measles in New South Wales since 1998 provided an opportunity to estimate the effectiveness of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination program in preventing childhood measles, and describe any differences in clinical presentation between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. We reviewed records of all 33 notified cases of measles in children aged 1-14 years during a state-wide outbreak in New South Wales from March - May 2006. Six of the children had a confirmed history of vaccination with at least 1 dose of MMR.

The effectiveness of prophylaxis for measles contacts in NSW.

Objectives: As international estimates of the effectiveness of post-exposure prophylaxis of measles vary, we sought to determine the effectiveness of post-exposure prophylaxis with either vaccine or immunoglobulin in susceptible persons with known measles contact.

Methods: Data were obtained on all cases of measles notified in NSW between 1 March and 31 May 2006 and their contacts. The effectiveness of prophylaxis was calculated using the cohort method.

The evaluation of web-based data collection for enhanced surveillance of cryptosporidiosis.

Following an increase in the number of people diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis in November 2005, the Communicable Diseases Branch initiated enhanced surveillance using a developmental version of NetEpi Collection, an open-source, web-based data collection tool. We evaluated the usefulness of NetEpi Collection for enhanced surveillance, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems as a guide. Most staff (73 per cent) who used NetEpi Collection found it easy to use.

EPIREVIEW. Pertussis in New South Wales, 1993-2005: the impact of vaccination policy on pertussis epidemiology.

Objective: To assess whether changes in vaccination policy have affected the epidemiology of pertussis in NSW between 1993 and 2005.

Methods: Surveillance data from the NSW Notifiable Diseases Database was reviewed for the period.

Results: 35,695 cases of pertussis were notified; annual incidence rates varied from 18.

Health surveillance among a team of Australian health workers assisting tsunami victims in Aceh, Indonesia.

Objective: To determine the extent and nature of health-related behaviours and outcomes among members of the first foreign medical team to arrive in Aceh, following the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.

Methods: A cross sectional survey of team members 4 weeks after return from Aceh.

Results: Compliance with antimalarial chemoprophylaxis and insect repellent was high while in Aceh, but only one-third completed the course of chemoprophylaxis.

An epidemiological investigation into an outbreak of rash illness among methadone maintenance clients in Australia.

In late 2004, NSW Health received several reports of a serious desquamating rash among clients of the methadone program. We sought to identify the extent and likely cause of this outbreak. We initiated active surveillance for cases throughout Australia, a survey of dosing points in NSW, and a case control study of clients receiving methadone syrup (MS) at two clinics.

Meningococcal disease--probable transmission during an international flight.

Two cases of meningococcal disease were identified in passengers who travelled on the same international flight. Both cases were serogroup B with the same allelic profile. The public health action involved chemoprophylaxis for persons seated adjacent to, and in the rows in front and behind, each case.

Probable psittacosis outbreak linked to wild birds.

In autumn 2002, an outbreak of probable psittacosis occurred among residents of the Blue Mountains district, Australia. We conducted a case-control study to determine independent risk factors for psittacosis by comparing exposures between hospitalized patients and other residents selected randomly from the telephone directory. Of the 59 case-patients with laboratory results supportive of psittacosis, 48 participated in a case-control study with 310 controls.