Communicable disease

Previous Chief Health Officer reports have provided health data for Victorians on the following communicable diseases:

• notified cases of laboratory-confirmed influenza and rates of influenza-like illness from sentinel general practice surveillance
• the number and notification rate of cases of pertussis and the age-specific notification rates of pertussis
• the number and notification rate of cases of meningococcal disease and the age-specific notification rates of meningococcal disease
• the number and notification rate of cases of tuberculosis over time
• the number and notification rate of Buruli ulcer over time
• the number of cases and rate of notification of HIV and the sex, sex of sexual partner and age-specific notification rates
• the number and notification rate of hepatitis B cases and the sex and age-specific notification rates
• the number and notification rate of hepatitis C cases and the sex and age-specific notification rates
• the number of cases and rate of notification of syphilis and the sex, sex of sexual partner and age-specific notification rates
• the number and notification rate of cases of legionellosis over time
• the number of notified cases of salmonellosis, expressed as a rate per 100,000 population, by age group, over time.

All of this health information on these and other notifiable conditions can now be accessed through the department's interactive communicable disease reports.

The communicable disease component of this Chief Health Officer report highlights some of the improved ways the department is undertaking surveillance of communicable disease to help keep Victorians safe.

It also examines key topics that have had a significant impact on communicable disease experience in Victoria – Buruli (Bairnsdale) ulcers, the significant 2017 influenza outbreak and improvements in treatment of hepatitis C.

Another communicable disease article on the ground-breaking PrEPX study to reduce HIV transmission is covered on the Sexual and reproductive health page of this Chief Health Officer report.