Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit annual report, 2013

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) conducts national active surveillance.
• This surveillance focuses on uncommon diseases in childhood, including specific communicable diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an update on the surveillance data collected by the APSU from January to December 2013.
• To report on the incidence and trends of various uncommon childhood diseases.

Main Methods:

• National active surveillance facilitated by the APSU.
• Data collection on specified pediatric conditions throughout 2013.
• Targeted surveillance for severe influenza complications during the 2013 influenza season.

Main Results:

• Surveillance data was gathered for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), congenital rubella, perinatal HIV exposure, pediatric HIV infection, neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV), congenital varicella, neonatal varicella, severe varicella complications, and juvenile onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JoRRP).
• Specific data on severe influenza complications were collected during the July to September 2013 influenza season.

Conclusions:

• The APSU successfully conducted surveillance for a range of uncommon pediatric diseases in 2013.
• The collected data contributes to understanding the epidemiology of these conditions in Australian children.