scholarly journals Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) Annual Surveillance Report 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzy M Teutsch ◽  
Carlos A Nunez ◽  
Anne Morris ◽  
Guy D Eslick ◽  
Gulam Khandaker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Reporting Rate ◽  
Perinatal Exposure ◽  
Childhood Diseases ◽  
Total Period ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
Congenital Rubella ◽  
Surveillance Unit ◽  
Neonatal Herpes Simplex

For 27 years, national prospective data on selected rare childhood diseases have been collected monthly by the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) from paediatricians and other clinical specialists who report cases in children aged up to 16 years. We report here the annual results of APSU surveillance in 2020 for ten rare communicable diseases and complications of communicable diseases, namely: acute flaccid paralysis (AFP); congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection; neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection; perinatal exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); paediatric HIV infection; severe complications of seasonal influenza; juvenile onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JoRRP); congenital rubella syndrome; congenital varicella syndrome; and neonatal varicella infection. We describe the results for each disease in the context of the total period of study, including demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment and short-term outcomes. Despite challenges presented by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020, more than 1,400 paediatricians reported regularly to the APSU and an overall monthly reporting rate of > 90% was achieved. The minimum AFP target of 1 case per 100,000 children aged less than 15 years was achieved and there were few cases of vaccine-preventable diseases (JoRRP, rubella, varicella). However, high cases of congenital CMV, neonatal HSV and perinatal exposure to HIV persist. There were no severe complications of seasonal influenza reported for the first time in 13 years. This is consistent with other surveillance data reporting a decline of influenza and other communicable diseases in 2020, and likely reflects the wider effects of public health measures to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the Australian community.

scholarly journals Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) Annual Surveillance Report 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzy M Teutsch ◽  
Carlos A Nunez ◽  
Anne Morris ◽  
Robert Booy ◽  
Skye McGregor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Childhood Infections ◽  
Congenital Rubella ◽  
Childhood Conditions ◽  
Surveillance Report ◽  
Surveillance Unit ◽  
Neonatal Herpes Simplex ◽  
Simplex Virus ◽  
Congenital Varicella Syndrome

The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) has been prospectively collecting national data on rare childhood conditions since 1993, with monthly reporting of cases by paediatricians. In this report we describe annual results from studies for ten communicable diseases and complications of communicable diseases that were conducted using APSU surveillance in 2019 and place these in an historic context. Results are reported on acute flaccid paralysis, congenital cytomegalovirus infection, neonatal herpes simplex virus infection, perinatal exposure to HIV, paediatric HIV infection, severe complications of seasonal influenza, juvenile onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JoRRP), congenital rubella syndrome, congenital varicella syndrome and neonatal varicella infection. APSU provides rich clinical data to complement data collected from other surveillance systems and to improve understanding and response to rare childhood infections.

scholarly journals Cross-sectional telephone surveys as a tool to study epidemiological factors and monitor seasonal influenza activity in Malta

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Marmara ◽  
D. Marmara ◽  
P. McMenemy ◽  
A. Kleczkowski
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Medical Information ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Reporting Rate ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Self Perception ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public

Abstract Background Seasonal influenza has major implications for healthcare services as outbreaks often lead to high activity levels in health systems. Being able to predict when such outbreaks occur is vital. Mathematical models have extensively been used to predict epidemics of infectious diseases such as seasonal influenza and to assess effectiveness of control strategies. Availability of comprehensive and reliable datasets used to parametrize these models is limited. In this paper we combine a unique epidemiological dataset collected in Malta through General Practitioners (GPs) with a novel method using cross-sectional surveys to study seasonal influenza dynamics in Malta in 2014–2016, to include social dynamics and self-perception related to seasonal influenza. Methods Two cross-sectional public surveys (n = 406 per survey) were performed by telephone across the Maltese population in 2014–15 and 2015–16 influenza seasons. Survey results were compared with incidence data (diagnosed seasonal influenza cases) collected by GPs in the same period and with Google Trends data for Malta. Information was collected on whether participants recalled their health status in past months, occurrences of influenza symptoms, hospitalisation rates due to seasonal influenza, seeking GP advice, and other medical information. Results We demonstrate that cross-sectional surveys are a reliable alternative data source to medical records. The two surveys gave comparable results, indicating that the level of recollection among the public is high. Based on two seasons of data, the reporting rate in Malta varies between 14 and 22%. The comparison with Google Trends suggests that the online searches peak at about the same time as the maximum extent of the epidemic, but the public interest declines and returns to background level. We also found that the public intensively searched the Internet for influenza-related terms even when number of cases was low. Conclusions Our research shows that a telephone survey is a viable way to gain deeper insight into a population’s self-perception of influenza and its symptoms and to provide another benchmark for medical statistics provided by GPs and Google Trends. The information collected can be used to improve epidemiological modelling of seasonal influenza and other infectious diseases, thus effectively contributing to public health.

Personal Beliefs Exemption from Mandatory Immunization of Children for School Entry

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (S2) ◽  
pp. 12-21
Author(s):  
Alexander M. Capron
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
School Enrollment ◽  
Pediatric Practice ◽  
Childhood Diseases ◽  
Measles Outbreaks ◽  
History Books ◽  
Do So

Public health law courses typically focus a good deal of attention on two related topics: the duty of government agencies to control the spread of communicable diseases and their use of the police power to do so. While governments sometimes take forceful actions in responding to disease outbreaks, they can also act to prevent their occurrence. Indeed, one of the great triumphs of public health in the 20th century was the development of vaccines and their widespread use, which seemed on course to relegate many formerly crippling or deadly diseases to the history books. Particular success occurred with vaccinations against childhood diseases such as polio, smallpox, and measles, outbreaks of which once routinely closed schoolrooms, playgrounds, and community swimming pools. By the last quarter of the century, completion of an elaborate schedule of immunizations was not merely the standard in pediatric practice but an official requirement for school enrollment. As a result, the range of communicable diseases that had once terrified parents had become threats to be feared only in memory.

scholarly journals Notifiable diseases after implementation of COVID-19 public health prevention measures in Central Queensland, Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odewumi Adegbija ◽  
Jacina Walker ◽  
Nicholas Smoll ◽  
Arifuzzaman Khan ◽  
Julieanne Graham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
Notifiable Diseases ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Travel Restrictions

The implementation of public health measures to control the current COVID-19 pandemic (such as wider lockdowns, overseas travel restrictions and physical distancing) is likely to have affected the spread of other notifiable diseases. This is a descriptive report of communicable disease surveillance in Central Queensland (CQ) for six months (1 April to 30 September 2020) after the introduction of physical distancing and wider lockdown measures in Queensland. The counts of notifiable communicable diseases in CQ in the six months were observed and compared with the average for the same months during the years 2015 to 2019. During the study’s six months, there were notable decreases in notifications of most vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza, pertussis and rotavirus. Conversely, notifications increased for disease groups such as blood-borne viruses, sexually transmitted infections and vector-borne diseases. There were no reported notifications for dengue fever and malaria which are mostly overseas acquired. The notifications of some communicable diseases in CQ were variably affected and the changes correlated with the implementation of the COVID-19 public health measures.

scholarly journals Re-verifying the elimination of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome in Canada, 2016–2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 476-478
Author(s):  
Myriam Saboui ◽  
Joanne Hiebert ◽  
Susan G Squires ◽  
Mireille Guay ◽  
Patricia Barcellos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Program Implementation ◽  
National Level ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Congenital Rubella Syndrome ◽  
World Health ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
Measles Elimination ◽  
Congenital Rubella ◽  
Health Organization

Elimination, in the context of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), refers to the absence of endemic measles/rubella virus transmission in a region or other defined geographic area for at least 12 months, in the presence of a high-quality surveillance system that meets targets of key performance indicators. In 1994, Canada and other countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) region of the Americas committed to the objectives of measles elimination by 2000 and rubella and CRS by 2010. Canada met these targets: eliminating measles transmission in 1998; rubella transmission in 2005; and endemically-acquired CRS in 2000. The WHO region of Americas was declared free of endemic rubella/CRS in 2015 and endemic measles in 2016. At the request of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Canada’s elimination status of measles, rubella and CRS was verified in 2012 and again in 2017. Prior to submission to PAHO, the verification reports were reviewed, approved and endorsed by Canada’s National Certification Committee (NCC). The NCC is a group of experts who are not directly involved with the management of vaccine preventable diseases or immunization program implementation at the national level, but who have the expertise to assist in ensuring that Canada is meeting PAHO’S goals of elimination and eradication. Members are responsible for reviewing Canada’s current mechanisms of surveillance and progress towards elimination of targeted vaccine preventable diseases in Canada. Members have expertise in the fields of public health, infectious diseases and/or laboratory sciences.

scholarly journals Surveillance of adverse events following immunisation in Australia: annual report, 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Dey ◽  
Han Wang ◽  
Helen Quinn ◽  
Alexis Pillsbury ◽  
Catherine Glover ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Injection Site Reaction ◽  
Reporting Rate ◽  
Vaccination Programs ◽  
National Immunisation ◽  
Program Schedule ◽  
National Immunisation Program ◽  
Reporting Rates

This report summarises Australian spontaneous surveillance data for adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for 2018 reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration and describes reporting trends over the 19-year period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2018. There were 4221 AEFI records for vaccines administered in 2018, an annual AEFI reporting rate of 16.9 per 100,000 population. There was a 2.9% increase in the overall AEFI reporting rate in 2018 compared to 2017. This slight increase in reported adverse events in 2018 was likely due to new additions to the National Immunisation Program schedule, namely meningococcal ACWY vaccination for children aged 12 months, enhanced immunogenicity trivalent influenza vaccines for adults aged ≥65 years, and state- and territory-funded seasonal influenza vaccination programs for children aged 6 months to <5 years. AEFI reporting rates for most individual vaccines in 2018 were similar to 2017. The most commonly reported adverse events were injection site reaction (34%), pyrexia (15%), rash (15%), vomiting (8%), headache (6%) and pain (6%). Two deaths were reported to the TGA but no clear causal relationship with vaccination was found.

scholarly journals Reducing burden from respiratory infections in refugees and immigrants: a systematic review of interventions in OECD, EU, EEA and EU-applicant countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Frederic Lambert ◽  
Katarina Stete ◽  
James Balmford ◽  
Annabelle Bockey ◽  
Winfried Kern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Childhood Diseases ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Literacy Interventions ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
Secondary Infections

Abstract Background Respiratory diseases are a major reason for refugees and other immigrants seeking health care in countries of arrival. The burden of respiratory diseases in refugees is exacerbated by sometimes poor living conditions characterised by crowding in mass accommodations and basic living portals. The lack of synthesised evidence and guideline-relevant information to reduce morbidity and mortality from respiratory infections endangers this population. Methods A systematic review of all controlled and observational studies assessing interventions targeting the treatment, diagnosis and management of respiratory infections in refugees and immigrants in OECD, EU, EEA and EU-applicant countries published between 2000 and 2019 in MEDLINE, CINAHL, PSYNDEX and the Web of Science. Results Nine of 5779 identified unique records met our eligibility criteria. Seven studies reported an increase in vaccine coverage from 2 to 52% after educational multilingual interventions for respiratory-related childhood diseases (4 studies) and for influenza (5 studies). There was limited evidence in one study that hand sanitiser reduced rates of upper respiratory infections and when provided together with face masks also the rates of influenza-like-illness in a hard to reach migrant neighbourhood. In outbreak situations of vaccine-preventable diseases, secondary cases and outbreak hazards were reduced by general vaccination strategies early after arrival but not by serological testing after exposure (1 study). We identified evidence gaps regarding interventions assessing housing standards, reducing burden of bacterial pneumonia and implementation of operational standards in refugee care and reception centres. Conclusions Multilingual health literacy interventions should be considered to increase uptake of vaccinations in refugees and immigrants. Immediate vaccinations upon arrival at refugee housings may reduce secondary infections and outbreaks. Well-designed controlled studies on housing and operational standards in refugee and immigrant populations early after arrival as well as adequate ways to gain informed consent for early vaccinations in mass housings is required to inform guidelines.

scholarly journals Surveillance of adverse events following immunisation in Australia annual report, 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aditi Dey ◽  
Han Wang ◽  
Helen Quinn ◽  
Alexis Pillsbury ◽  
Catherine Glover ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Injection Site Reaction ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Reporting Rate ◽  
Influenza Vaccines ◽  
Causal Association ◽  
Site Reaction ◽  
Reporting Rates

This report summarises Australian spontaneous surveillance data for adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) for 2019 reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and describes reporting trends over the 20-year period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2019. There were 3,782 AEFI records for vaccines administered in 2019, an annual AEFI reporting rate of 14.9 per 100,000 population. There was an 11.8% decrease in the overall AEFI reporting rate in 2019 compared to 2018 (16.9 per 100,000 population). This decrease in the AEFI reporting rate in 2019 was mainly attributable to a decline in reported adverse events related to the human papillomavirus (HPV), dTpa, meningococcal ACWY and seasonal influenza vaccines. AEFI reporting rates for most individual vaccines in 2019 were similar to 2018. The most commonly-reported adverse events were injection site reaction (35.8%), rash (16.6%), pyrexia (15.3%), vomiting (8.1%), urticaria (5.8%), pain (5.8%) and headache (5.7%). There were five deaths reported to the TGA. In one report, the timing and clinical findings were consistent with a causal association with vaccination. In the remaining four reports, no clear causal relationship with vaccination was found.

scholarly journals Australia’s notifiable disease status, 2015: Annual report of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Surveillance System ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Disease Status ◽  
Gastrointestinal Diseases ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Notifiable Disease ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
Notifiable Diseases ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infections

In 2015, 67 diseases and conditions were nationally notifiable in Australia. States and territories reported a total of 320,480 notifications of communicable diseases to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, an increase of 16% on the number of notifications in 2014. In 2015, the most frequently notified diseases were vaccine preventable diseases (147,569 notifications, 46% of total notifications), sexually transmissible infections (95,468 notifications, 30% of total notifications), and gastrointestinal diseases (45,326 notifications, 14% of total notifications). There were 17,337 notifications of bloodborne diseases; 12,253 notifications of vectorborne diseases; 1,815 notifications of other bacterial infections; 710 notifications of zoonoses and 2 notifications of quarantinable diseases.

Meeting the Challenges of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Child Day Care

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 1021-1023
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Cochi ◽  
William L. Atkinson ◽  
Eugene F. Dini ◽  
William G. Adams ◽  
Anne A. Gershon
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Day Care ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Childhood Diseases ◽  
Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽  
Child Day Care ◽  
Preschool Age Children ◽  
Age Appropriate

Recent advances in the development of new and improved vaccines have resulted in both the prospect of additions to the list of vaccine-preventable childhood diseases and opportunities to more effectively prevent diseases that are already vaccine-preventable.1 The recently revised schedule of routine vaccinations for all children as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the US Public Health Service is shown in the Table. The challenges of applying these new or improved vaccines, in light of our current understanding of the epidemiology of the diseases and a more efficient monitoring system for ensuring age-appropriate vaccination, is to more effectively control vaccine-preventable diseases in child day-care settings. BACKGROUND The nation experienced a marked increase in measles cases during 1989 and 1990. From 1980 to 1988, a median of 3124 measles cases was reported annually. During 1989 to 1991, a major resurgence of measles occurred, with a total of 55 622 cases reported during this period. The resurgence of measles was associated with a change in the epidemiology of reported cases. From 1980 to 1988, a median of 29% of cases occurred among children under 5 years of age.2 However, during 1989-1991, preschool-age children accounted for 37% to 49% of all reported cases.2,3 Many of these cases were reported from areas with large outbreaks of measles among predominantly unvaccinated black and Hispanic children living in large urban areas such as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Dallas. These cases among preschool-age children were associated with a large number of complications of measles.

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