Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)最新文献

{"title":"Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease surveillance in Australia: update to 31 December 2025.","authors":"Christiane Stehmann, Matteo Senesi, Shannon Sarros, Amelia McGlade, Victoria Lewis, Genevieve Klug, Sarah Holper, Catriona McLean, Colin Masters, Steven Collins","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2026.50.050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nationwide surveillance of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and other human prion diseases is performed by the Australian National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Registry (ANCJDR). National surveillance encompasses the period since 1 January 1970, with prospective surveillance occurring from 1 October 1993. Over this prospective surveillance period, considerable improvements have been developed in pre-mortem diagnostics in parallel with the delineation of new disease subtypes and heightened awareness of prion diseases in healthcare settings. Surveillance practices of the ANCJDR have evolved and adapted accordingly. This report summarises the activities of the ANCJDR during 2025. Since the ANCJDR began offering diagnostic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) 14-3-3 protein testing in Australia in September 1997, the annual number of diagnostic test referrals has steadily increased. In 2025, there were 788 domestic CSF specimens referred for diagnostic testing; 92 persons with suspected human prion disease were formally added to the national register. As of 31 December 2025, more than half of the 84 initial case notifications for 2025 (44/84) remain classified as 'incomplete'; 35 cases have been confirmed as 'definite' or 'probable' prion disease; five cases were excluded. In 2025, most suspected human-prion-disease-related deaths in Australia (56%) underwent neuropathological examination. No cases of variant or iatrogenic CJD were identified in Australia during 2025.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) Annual Surveillance Report 2025.","authors":"Suzy Teutsch, Carlos Nunez, Anne Morris, Elizabeth Elliott","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2026.50.052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For over 30 years, the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) has conducted national prospective surveillance of rare conditions in children, including communicable diseases and complications, providing data that has informed changes to policy and clinical practice. In 2025, the APSU monitored seven rare communicable diseases and complications: acute flaccid paralysis (AFP); perinatal exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); paediatric HIV infection; juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JoRRP); congenital rubella infection/syndrome; congenital varicella syndrome (CVS); and neonatal varicella infection (NVI). An average of 1,313 paediatricians and other relevant clinical specialists received a report card each month listing rare conditions under APSU surveillance (including the seven described in this report), and completed a case report form for any child(ren) seen with one or more of these conditions, detailing demographics, clinical features, treatment/management, risk factors and short-term outcomes. There were 134 notifications, of which 105 were confirmed as cases, after excluding duplicate reports or errors. The annual response rate to the report card was 78.4%. The non-polio AFP incidence of 1.58 per 100,000 children aged < 15 years exceeded the World Health Organization requirement to maintain Australia's polio-free status. Incidence of perinatal exposure to HIV remained stable, but new paediatric HIV infections increased. While there were no cases of congenital rubella or CVS, three cases of NVI and one case of JoRRP were reported, indicating ongoing gaps in vaccination despite two decades of universal vaccination in Australia. Continued APSU surveillance remains essential to assess the prevention of disease occurrence and adverse outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation of a norovirus outbreak at a catered social event, Australian Capital Territory, 2024.","authors":"Clare Kinnear, Timothy Sloan-Gardner, Natasha Waters, Victoria Wansink, Lyndell Hudson, Jenny Post","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.042","DOIUrl":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>An outbreak of gastrointestinal illness was notified, affecting attendees at a private function in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in 2024. Investigations were conducted to determine the infectious agent, source of illness and mode of transmission, as well as to determine any public health actions required to prevent further illness.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Function attendees were surveyed using a modified standard gastroenteritis questionnaire. A confirmed outbreak case was defined as an individual who was unwell after attending the event and had a norovirus-positive clinical sample; a probable outbreak case was defined as an individual who was unwell with clinically compatible symptoms after attending the event. A case-control study was conducted to identify food items associated with illness. Food safety inspections were performed, and food samples were tested at the ACT Government Analytical Laboratory. Clinical samples were collected from unwell attendees and from an asymptomatic food handler.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were approximately 250-500 attendees at the function; 224 attendees completed the questionnaire and there were 65 cases (5 confirmed and 60 probable). A food handler who had previously been unwell, and who prepared fruit and meat platters for the function more than 96 hours after their symptoms had resolved, subsequently tested positive for norovirus. Environmental Health investigations showed the venue had good food practices and handwashing; the investigation identified no ongoing risks to the public. Testing of food samples did not detect any bacterial foodborne pathogens. Epidemiological investigations identified consumption of fresh fruit (odds ratio [OR]: 5.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.4-12.6; p < 0.001) and cured meat (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.2-6.2; p = 0.02) as significantly associated with disease.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Epidemiological and clinical evidence indicates that norovirus was transmitted via contaminated fresh fruit and cured meat platters. Despite the venue having good food handling and handwashing practices, it was likely due to a food handler who had been unwell in the week prior to the function and prepared the implicated foods more than 96 hours after their symptoms resolved. This outbreak investigation shows that safe food practices and exclusion periods reduce but do not eliminate risk completely. Our findings highlight the need for continued education on effective hand hygiene in food preparation settings, especially following gastrointestinal illness.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537352","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Australian Trachoma Surveillance Report 2024.","authors":"Alison Jaworski, Carleigh Cowling, Gordana Popovic, Absar Noorul, Sergio Sandler, Susana Vaz Nery, John Kaldor","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2026.50.044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trachoma is the world's leading infectious cause of preventable blindness and is linked to poor living conditions. In Australia, trachoma has remained a public health problem in remote Indigenous communities in northern, central, and western regions. To seek formal validation by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem, Australia has needed to maintain levels of overall trachoma prevalence below 5% in children for at least two years in each formerly endemic state or territory. Australia must also demonstrate that the prevalence of previously undiagnosed trachomatous trichiasis (TT), the severe advanced blinding stage caused by repeated infection, remains below 0.2% in people aged 15 years and over. Australia first reached elimination thresholds in 2022, with 2024 the final year of pre-validation monitoring. In 2024, screening staff assessed trachoma according to WHO grading criteria in 86 communities. Overall prevalence of trachoma was 2.1% in the Northern Territory; 0% in South Australia; and 1.3% in Western Australia. Only nine previously unknown TT cases were reported throughout the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Based on 2024 surveillance data, Australia is eligible to apply for validation of elimination as a public health problem. Maintaining this achievement will require ongoing improvements to remote housing and environmental conditions; supporting communities to manage remaining disease pockets or risk of resurgence; and continuing accessible TT diagnosis and surgery pathways to address long-term disease impacts. Indigenous leadership is critical to ensure local ownership and accountability to communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Neisseria gonorrhoeae notifications, resistance and management in the Pilbara Region, Western Australia, July 2023 - June 2024.","authors":"Simon Slota-Kan, Pauline Glasson, Katherine Black","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2026.50.049","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>In October 2024, Pilbara treatment guidance for uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhoea shifted from routine ZAP pack (amoxicillin 3 g and probenecid 1 g and azithromycin 1 g oral as a single treatment) to ceftriaxone-based LAC pack (ceftriaxone 500 mg in 2 mL 1% lignocaine intramuscularly and azithromycin 1 g oral, as a single treatment) in response to rising penicillinase-producing <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> (PPNG) and the threat of imported ciprofloxacin resistance.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A retrospective clinical audit to describe demographics, compare treatment and resistance data collected for <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> notifications for Pilbara health region residents meeting the surveillance case definitions in the Western Australian Notifiable Infectious Diseases Database (WANIDD) against clinical guidelines.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>All Pilbara health region resident <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> notifications in the Western Australian Notifiable Infectious Diseases Database (WANIDD) from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.</p><p><strong>Main outcome measures: </strong>The proportion of notifications that reported treatment with a ZAP pack or LAC pack as per Western Australian and national clinical guidelines. Secondary outcomes included the proportion of notifications undertaken by the WA Country Health Service that reported test of cure at 1-2 weeks; the proportion that reported rescreening at 3 months post notification; and the proportion of notifications that reported PPNG and ciprofloxacin resistance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 188 <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> notifications were received over the audit time frame. One hundred and twenty-seven notifications of a total of 156 N. gonorrhoeae notifications (81%) reported receiving treatment consistent with WA and National STI treatment guidelines, i.e. ZAP or LAC pack. Fifteen notifications of a total of 188 notifications (8%) reported detection of PPNG and 20 notifications of a total of 188 notifications (11%) reported ciprofloxacin resistance. For WA Country Health service notifications, 9 of 27 (33%) reported re-testing at 1-2 weeks or 3 months.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The majority of notifications (81%) reported <i>N. gonorrhoeae</i> treatment consistent with guidelines. A significant proportion of notifications (8%) indicated likely penicillin resistance due to the detection of PPNG. Reinforcing treatment consistent with the updated treatment guidelines of October 2024 for the Pilbara region will reduce the risk of ineffective treatment. Improving the rate of test of cure and test for reinfection (33%) would improve the likelihood of detecting treatment failure and detecting resistance.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2019-2020.","authors":"Dharshi Thangarajah, Justin Waring, Justin Denholm, Tatiana Gonzales","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.045","DOIUrl":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 2020, the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System received 1,618 tuberculosis (TB) notifications, representing a notification rate of 6.3 per 100,0000 population. In 2019, there were 1,505 TB notifications, with a rate of 5.9 per 100,000 population. Australia has achieved and maintained good TB control since the mid-1980s, sustaining a low annual TB incidence rate of approximately five to six cases per 100,000 population. The number of multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases notified in Australia is lower than global rates, with approximately 2% of TB notifications per year classified as MDR-TB. In Australia, overseas-born people represent the majority of TB cases, accounting for 92% and 90% of TB notifications in 2020 and 2019, respectively. In 2020 and 2019, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people recorded TB rates approximately four times higher than the Australian-born non-Indigenous population. Whilst Australia has achieved and maintained excellent control of TB, sustained effort is required to reduce local rates further, especially among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations, and to contribute to the World Health Organization's goal to end the global TB epidemic by 2035.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Measles epidemiology in Australia: 2014 to 2024. Erratum to 10.33321/cdi.2026.50.016.","authors":"Lizzie Gorrell, Benjamin Polkinghorne, David Durrheim","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.048","DOIUrl":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article, as originally published, contained a mis-compiled tabulation of the notified measles clusters within Australia for the period 2014-2024, inadvertently misrepresenting the distribution of measles clusters across the country during this period. The revised text passages and the revised table presented on the following pages correct these errors. Australia has maintained endemic measles elimination since verification was first achieved in 2014. To support sustained elimination, and strengthen national preparedness, we conducted a ten-year review of measles epidemiology from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2024. Measles notifications to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System were analysed by sex, age, seasonality, state/territory, country of acquisition, vaccination status, genotype, and cluster characteristics.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148260025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An outbreak of Salmonella Waycross related to sandpit contamination in a Gold Coast childcare centre, Queensland, Australia, 2024.","authors":"Heshani Rupasinghe, Kate Alexander, Fiona May, Victoria Marriott, Amanda Robinson, Fiona Vosti, Tracy Bladen, Sharon Jurd, Rikki Graham, Brett Heron, Gino Micalizzi, Trudy Graham, Robert Bell, Candice Colbran","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2026.50.030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Salmonella Waycross</i> is a serovar with limited published literature on its reservoirs and epidemiology. In April 2024, the Gold Coast Public Health Unit (GCPHU) identified an outbreak of <i>S.</i> Waycross at a childcare centre in Queensland, Australia, following notifications of acute enterocolitis in children under five years of age. Whole-genome sequencing linked two confirmed cases to environmental contamination in the centre's sandpit. The multi-disciplinary investigation highlights the potential for non-foodborne transmission of Salmonella in childcare settings, emphasising the importance of environmental surveillance in enteric outbreaks. The outbreak response led to the removal of contaminated sand and implementation of enhanced infection control measures in line with national guidelines. These findings contribute to the understanding of <i>S.</i> Waycross epidemiology and illustrate the potential for persistence and transmission of the contaminant in outdoor play environments. More broadly, the investigation adds to growing evidence that sandpits can act as transmission pathways for enteric infections. It reinforces the importance of basic prevention practices, such as hand hygiene after sandpit use, and supports the need to consider additional evidence-based strategies to reduce the risk of sandpit-related illness in children.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148259997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination and Equity in Australia 2026-2030.","authors":"National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee, Justin Denholm","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.039","DOIUrl":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.039","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[Disclaimer: The views expressed in this item are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Communicable Diseases Intelligence journal or the Australian Centre for Disease Control. While this Policy and Guidelines item was drafted with consideration to the then-available information on the condition(s) addressed within, it may not be complete and may not represent the currently understood best practice for the referenced condition(s). Readers are advised to refer to the most recent guidance on this matter, where such guidance exists and where its authoritativeness can be established. These guidelines do not replace the need for clinical judgment to be exercised for each individual circumstance, nor the necessity for expert advice to be obtained as appropriate.] \u0000\u0000The Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination and Equity in Australia, 2026-2030 provides the framework for Australia's tuberculosis (TB) programmatic response over the next five years. The Strategic Plan upholds a focus on achieving TB elimination, and equitable outcomes for all people affected by TB.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148260000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Program, 1 October to 31 December 2025.","authors":"Monica Lahra, Siobhan Hurley, Sebastiaan Van Hal, Tiffany Hogan","doi":"10.33321/cdi.2026.50.035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2026.50.035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Australian National Neisseria Network (NNN) comprises reference laboratories in each state and territory that report data on antimicrobial susceptibility testing to an agreed group of antimicrobial agents for the Australian Gonococcal Surveillance Programme (AGSP). The AGSP data are presented quarterly in tabulated form, as well as in the AGSP annual report. This report presents national gonococcal antimicrobial resistance surveillance data from 1 October to 31 December 2025.</p>","PeriodicalId":36867,"journal":{"name":"Communicable diseases intelligence (2018)","volume":"50 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148260043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}