Residence in the upper Blue Mountains, age of 50–64 years, direct contact with wild birds, and lawn mowing without a grass catcher were associated with psittacosis.

In 2008 and 2009 increased numbers of pertussis notifications were reported in NSW. During the epidemic period, the pertussis notification rate was 2.7 times higher than the previous 5-year average. Rates of pertussis notifications and hospitalisations were highest among infants aged less than 1 year across all years studied. Compared to previous years, the notification rate for children aged 1-4 years increased dramatically and was particularly striking for children aged 3 years with notifications exceeding those for infants in 2009. Changes in testing practices during the epidemic period, including a significant increase in the use of polymerase chain reaction, may account for some of the relative increase in size of the 2008-2009 outbreak compared with previous outbreak years.

No abstract

In September 2000 an outbreak of influenza-like illness was reported on a cruise ship sailing between Sydney and Noumea with over 1,100 passengers and 400 crew on board. Laboratory testing of passengers and crew indicated that both influenza A and B had been circulating on the ship. The cruise coincided with the peak influenza period in Sydney. Morbidity was high with 40 passengers hospitalized, two of whom died. A questionnaire was sent to passengers 3 weeks after the cruise and 836 of 1,119 (75%) responded. A total of 310 passengers (37%) reported suffering from an influenza-like illness (defined as cough, fever, myalgia and weakness) and 528 (63%) had seen a doctor for illness related to the cruise. One-third of passengers reported receipt of influenza vaccination in 2000; however neither their rates of influenza-like illness nor hospitalization were significantly different from those in unvaccinated passengers. A case-control study also found no significant protective effect of influenza vaccination. With the increasing popularity of cruise vacations, such outbreaks are likely to affect increasing numbers of people. Whilst influenza vaccination of passengers and crew may afford some protection, uptake and effectiveness may not be sufficient to prevent outbreaks. Surveillance systems and early intervention measures, such as antiviral therapies, should be considered to detect and control such outbreaks.

Airport screening was ineffective in detecting cases of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in NSW. Its future use should be carefully considered against potentially more effective interventions, such as contact tracing in the community.