Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) Annual Surveillance Report 2023

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Infectious Diseases
• Public Health Surveillance
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) has a long-standing history of prospective national surveillance for rare communicable diseases in children.
• Surveillance is crucial for understanding disease trends and informing public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the findings of the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) for 2023, focusing on rare communicable diseases and complications in children.
• To identify trends in specific diseases, including emerging infections and vaccine-preventable conditions.

Main Methods:

• Prospective national surveillance of rare communicable diseases and complications in children and infants.
• Data collection and analysis of reported cases across 15 surveillance categories, including newly added diseases.

Main Results:

• A notable increase in severe influenza cases, particularly influenza B, was observed in 2023, marking the first such rise in five years.
• One pediatric death was associated with influenza, and only 6% of children received the seasonal influenza vaccine.
• Reports of rare and emerging diseases such as dengue, Q fever, and pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) were received.
• Persistent challenges with vaccine-preventable juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JoRRP), mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) deaths were also highlighted.

Conclusions:

• The 2023 APSU surveillance highlights a concerning resurgence of severe influenza in children, emphasizing the need for improved vaccination coverage.
• The continued presence of vaccine-preventable diseases and challenges in managing neonatal infections underscores the ongoing importance of surveillance and targeted interventions.