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Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) Annual Surveillance Report 2020

Suzy M Teutsch1,2,3, Carlos A Nunez1,2,3, Anne Morris1,2,3

  • 1The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit.

Communicable Diseases Intelligence (2018)
|October 29, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) monitored rare childhood diseases in 2020. While vaccine-preventable diseases declined, congenital cytomegalovirus, neonatal herpes simplex virus, and perinatal HIV exposures remain concerns.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health Surveillance

Background:

  • The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) has collected national prospective data on rare childhood diseases for 27 years.
  • Surveillance data is gathered monthly from pediatricians and specialists for children up to 16 years old.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To report the 2020 annual surveillance results for ten rare communicable diseases and their complications.
  • To analyze demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment, and short-term outcomes in the context of long-term study data.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, national surveillance of rare childhood communicable diseases and complications.
  • Monthly data collection from over 1,400 reporting pediatricians, achieving a >90% reporting rate in 2020.
  • Analysis of data for acute flaccid paralysis, congenital cytomegalovirus, neonatal herpes simplex virus, perinatal/pediatric HIV, severe influenza complications, juvenile onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, congenital rubella, and congenital/neonatal varicella.

Main Results:

  • Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, high reporting rates were maintained.
  • The minimum target for acute flaccid paralysis was met; vaccine-preventable diseases (JoRRP, rubella, varicella) were rare.
  • Congenital cytomegalovirus, neonatal herpes simplex virus, and perinatal HIV exposures remain prevalent.
  • No severe complications of seasonal influenza were reported, aligning with a general decline in communicable diseases due to public health measures.

Conclusions:

  • Surveillance systems effectively monitored rare pediatric diseases in 2020, even amidst the pandemic.
  • While progress was made in reducing some vaccine-preventable diseases, persistent high rates of congenital CMV, neonatal HSV, and perinatal HIV exposure require ongoing attention.
  • The decline in influenza complications highlights the impact of public health interventions on communicable disease transmission.

Keywords:
Australiachildcommunicable diseasepublic health surveillancerare disease

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