Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2012 and 2013.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Infectious Disease Surveillance

Background:

• The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System monitors infectious diseases in Australia.
• Tuberculosis (TB) incidence had shown an upward trend since 2007 prior to 2012.

Observation:

• TB notifications decreased from 5.8 to 5.5 per 100,000 population between 2012 and 2013.
• The overseas-born population accounted for the majority of TB cases, with incidence rates of 19.5 and 18.4 per 100,000 in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
• TB incidence remained low in Australian-born non-Indigenous populations (0.7-0.8 per 100,000) and relatively steady in Indigenous populations (4.5-4.6 per 100,000).

Findings:

• Australia experienced a reversal of the upward TB incidence trend in 2012-2013.
• Multi-drug resistant TB cases remained low nationally, primarily identified in overseas-born individuals.
• Sustained control of TB in Australia is demonstrated, with low incidence rates across most population groups.

Implications:

• These findings highlight the effectiveness of Australia's TB control strategies.
• Continued surveillance is crucial, particularly among overseas-born populations, to maintain low TB incidence.
• Australia's success contributes to global efforts in reducing the burden of tuberculosis.