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Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance inaugural annual report, 2014
Yvonne A Zurynski1, Jocelynne E McRae2, Helen E Quinn3,4
1Deputy Director, Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, New South Wales.
Insights
The Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network monitors rare vaccine-preventable diseases and adverse events in children. It provides crucial data to improve public health and vaccination strategies in Australia.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Vaccine safety surveillance
- Public health epidemiology
Background:
- The Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network is a hospital-based system for active surveillance.
- It focuses on uncommon vaccine-preventable diseases and potential adverse events following immunisation (AEFI).
- PAEDS enhances existing Australian surveillance by providing detailed clinical and laboratory data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct active surveillance of specific vaccine-preventable diseases and potential AEFIs in hospitalised children.
- To collect detailed clinical and laboratory data to supplement existing surveillance systems.
- To provide policy-relevant data for public health decision-making.
Main Methods:
- Specialist nurses prospectively identify hospitalised children under 15 years across 5 tertiary paediatric hospitals in Australia.
- Surveillance covers conditions including acute flaccid paralysis, varicella, influenza, pertussis, febrile seizures, intussusception, and acute childhood encephalitis.
- Standardised protocols and case definitions are employed across all participating sites.
Main Results:
- PAEDS has recruited over 6,000 cases since 2007, with 1,220 in 2014.
- Key outcomes include enhanced surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis, support for varicella and influenza vaccination, and data on febrile seizures and intussusception risks post-vaccination.
- Data facilitated rapid response to the enterovirus 71 outbreak in 2013-2014.
Conclusions:
- PAEDS generates unique, policy-relevant data on paediatric diseases and vaccine safety.
- The system enhances national surveillance efforts for critical public health issues.
- This report marks the first in a planned series of annual PAEDS reports.
Introduction:
The Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) network is a hospital-based active surveillance system employing prospective case ascertainment of selected uncommon vaccine preventable diseases and potential adverse events following immunisation (AEFI). PAEDS enhances other Australian surveillance systems by providing prospective detailed clinical and laboratory data for the same child.
Methods:
Specialist surveillance nurses screen hospital admissions, emergency department records, laboratory and other data, to prospectively identify hospitalised children aged under 15 years in 5 paediatric tertiary referral hospitals in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. Standardised protocols and case definitions are used across all sites. Conditions under surveillance include vaccine preventable diseases: acute flaccid paralysis, varicella, pandemic and seasonal influenza and pertussis, and potential AEFIs: febrile seizures and intussusception. PAEDS also conducts surveillance for acute childhood encephalitis.
Results:
Since August 2007, PAEDS has recruited a total of 6,227 hospitalised cases in total, for all conditions. From January to December 2014, there were 1,220 cases recruited across all conditions. Key outcomes include: enhanced acute flaccid paralysis surveillance to reach World Health Organization targets; supporting varicella and influenza vaccination in children; confirmation of a known low risk of febrile seizures following the 1st dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine but no increased risk of febrile seizures after measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine, and a slightly increased risk of developing intussusception 1-7 days after rotavirus vaccination in infants aged less than 3 months. Acute childhood encephalitis data facilitated rapid investigation and response to the enterovirus 71 outbreak in 2013-2014.
Conclusions:
PAEDS provides unique policy-relevant data. This is the first of planned PAEDS annual reports to Communicable Diseases Intelligence.
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