Strongyloidiasis: a case for notification in Australia?

Speare, Richard; Miller, Adrian; Page, Wendy A

doi:10.5694/mja15.00112

Topics

To the Editor: Australia's National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) is used to monitor trends in 58 communicable diseases or conditions. The incidence of notifiable diseases can be decreased by public health action. Some diseases require rapid local responses, such as outbreaks of vaccine-preventable or foodborne diseases. Upward trends in the incidence of other notifiable diseases — for example, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections and bloodborne viruses — can be managed by less-rapid responses. The NNDSS exists not for data collection per se, but for public health action.

1 Tropical Health Solutions, Townsville, QLD.
2 James Cook University, Townsville, QLD.
3 Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD.
4 Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation, Nhulunbuy, NT.

Correspondence:

Acknowledgements:

We thank Jenni Judd and Jennifer Shield for their contributions to the writing of this letter, and the Australian Research Council Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development program for support.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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