CDI Vol 26 No 3 September 2002
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Communicable Diseases Intelligence Quarterly Report Volume 26 Issue No 3 2002 © Commonwealth of Australia 2002 ISBN 0 642 82126 7 ISSN 1447-4514 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth available from the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Copyright Services, Info Access, GPO Box 1920, Canberra ACT 2601. Editor Jenean Spencer Editorial and Production Staff Jenean Spencer, Paul Roche, Ming Lin, Alison Milton, Charlie Blumer, Megge Miller, Lynne Hawker, Patricia Hurtado Editorial Advisory Board Charles Watson (Chair), Mary Beers, Margaret Burgess, Scott Cameron, John Kaldor, Cathy Mead Website http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/cdi/cdihtml.htm Contributions Contributions covering any aspects of communicable diseases are invited. All contributions are subject to the normal refereeing process. Instructions to authors can be found in Commun Dis Intell 2001;25:147-148. Subscriptions and contacts Communicable Diseases Intelligence is produced every quarter by: Surveillance and Epidemiology Section Communicable Diseases and Health Protection Branch Department of Health and Ageing GPO Box 9848, (MDP 6) CANBERRA ACT 2601; Phone: +61 2 6289 8245 Facsimile: +61 2 6289 7791 E-mail: [email protected]. This journal is indexed by Index Medicus, Medline and the Australasian Medical Index. Disclaimer Opinions expressed in Communicable Diseases Intelligence are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Department of Health and Ageing or the Communicable Diseases Network Australia. Data may be subject to revision. Front cover: prepared by PAPA, Department of Health and Ageing Printed by Union Offset, Canberra Publications Approval number 3013 CDI Vol 26, No 3, 2002 Contents Editorial: Review of the Laboratory Virology and Serology Reporting Scheme............................................321 Tim JJ Inglis The Laboratory Virology and Serology Reporting Scheme, 1991 to 2000..................................................323 Paul Roche, Linda Halliday, Eddie O’Brien, Jenean Spencer Errata..................................................................................................................................................................374 Enhancing foodborne disease surveillance across Australia: the OzFoodNet annual report, 2001 ........375 Rosie Ashbolt, Rod Givney, Joy E Gregory, Gillian Hall, Rebecca Hundy, Martyn Kirk, Ian McKay, Lynn Meuleners, Geoff Millard, Jane Raupach, Paul Roche, Nittita Prasopa-Plaizier, Mohinder K Sarna, Russell Stafford, Nola Tomaska, Leanne Unicomb, Craig Williams, the OzFoodNet Working Group Annual report of the Australian Meningococcal Surveillance Programme, 2001 ......................................407 The Australian Meningococcal Surveillance Programme Annual report of the Australian National Poliovirus Reference Laboratory and summary of acute flaccid paralysis surveillance, 2001................................................................................................................419 Bruce R Thorley, Kerri Anne Brussen, Vicki Stambos, Lilly KW Yuen, Heath A Kelly Sentinel Chicken Surveillance Programme in Australia, 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002 ............................428 Annette K Broom, Peter I Whelan, Joe Azuolas, Dominic Dwyer, Linda Hueston, John S Mackenzie, Lorna Melville, Scott A Ritchie, David W Smith OzFoodNet: enhancing foodborne disease surveillance across Australia: quarterly report, January to March 2002 ..................................................................................................................................430 The OzFoodNet Working Group Editorial: Diarrhoea associated with consumption of escolar (rudderfish)..................................................436 Craig Shadbolt, Martyn Kirk, Paul Roche Outbreaks of diarrhoea associated with butterfish in Victoria ....................................................................439 Joy Gregory Illness associated with rudderfish/escolar in South Australia ....................................................................440 Rodney C Givney An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness associated with the consumption of escolar fish ........................441 Keflemariam Yohannes, Craig B Dalton, Linda Halliday, Leanne E Unicomb, Martyn Kirk Gastroenteritis outbreak in a sporting team linked to barbecued chicken ................................................446 Paul Armstrong, David Peacock, Scott Cameron Outbreak of Cryptosporidium linked to drinking unpasteurised milk............................................................449 Catherine M Harper, Noel A Cowell, Brad C Adams, Andrew J Langley, Tracey D Wohlsen Observational methods in epidemiologic assessment of vaccine effectiveness........................................451 Siranda Torvaldsen, Peter B McIntyre CDI Vol 26, No 3, 2002 319 Contents, continued Reduction in the hepatitis B related burden of disease — measuring the success of universal immunisation programs ..................................................................................................................................458 Alison H Williams A review of national legionellosis surveillance in Australia, 1991 to 2000 ................................................461 Janet S Li, Eddie D O’Brien, Charles Guest Intergovernmental Committee on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases........................................469 Communicable diseases — a fight we can win? Conference ........................................................................471 Communicable Diseases Surveillance Highlights for 2nd quarter, 2002..........................................................................................................472 Tables......................................................................................................................................................478 Additional reports ..................................................................................................................................488 Overseas briefs ................................................................................................................................................496 320 CDI Vol 26, No 3, 2002 Editorial Editorial: Review of the Laboratory Virology and Serology Reporting Scheme Tim JJ Inglis, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathCentre, Western Australia The Laboratory Virology and Serology Reporting discontinued. Surveillance was continued for other Scheme (LabVISE), the national surveillance diseases in order to get some national measure of scheme for virology and serology laboratory results seasonal/epidemic disease. However, it was has just undergone a detailed review. The data recognised at this time that a better structured included in the LabVISE appraisal covers reports on scheme was needed with improved representation a large number of viral and other pathogens over of the Australian population and better the decade 1991 to 2000. The total dataset denominator data. available on LabVISE indicators stands at over It is a cruel irony with which most users of LabVISE 500,000 items since its inception in 1982. During data will be familiar that perception is often as the period of the current review there were important as accurate measurement of disease significant changes in the scope and objectives of burden. For this reason, readers of the report will the surveillance program. Most notable of these need to be cautious about changes in reporting were the establishment of the National Notifiable that might be explained by fluctuating fashions in Disease Surveillance Scheme (NNDSS) in 1991, a infectious disease practice, or the epidemiological simplification of LabVISE in 1995 and transfer of self-fulfilling prophecies on which many pseudo- responsibility for the scheme to the National Public outbreaks are founded. In summary, the well- Health Laboratory Network in 1998. This report is recognised limitations of the current LabVISE therefore the first formal evaluation of LabVISE dataset render it difficult to use as a field data since 1996. The dataset reported under the epidemiology resource. LabVISE program was also subject to change during this period, most notably the exclusion of Undoubtedly the most practically useful material in hepatitis B and C, herpesvirus and Neisseria this report is its demonstration of the nationwide gonorrhoea, and a reduction in the number of data presence of a range of non-notifable pathogens. fields collected. Throughout this period The NNDSS may have taken the lead role in denominator data were not provided and there collating data on notifiable pathogens, but even have been significant inconsistencies in the on-line, laboratory-based notification has not completeness of reporting. There are particular overcome the problem of reliable denominator deficiencies in some jurisdictions where major data or addressed the problem of slow turnaround reference laboratories have not contributed data of analysed data to local public health jurisdictions. regularly. The private sector laboratories have been LabVISE is therefore a useful reality check on notable in their under-representation and overall, NNDSS data, as is clear from measles virus results total test numbers have not been available. over the review