Trends in infectious disease mortality in Australia, 1979-1994.
OBJECTIVE
To examine trends in infectious disease mortality in Australia over the period 1979-1994.


METHODS
Descriptive study based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data.


METHODS
All persons who died in Australia during 1979-1994.


METHODS
Infectious diseases as the underlying cause of death by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes.


RESULTS
Overall mortality from infectious diseases declined from 29.2/100,000 population in 1979-1981 to 24.1/100,000 in 1992-1994 (P = 0.02). Respiratory infection was the major category of infectious disease mortality, declining from 15.8/100,000 in 1979-1981 to 10.6/100,000 in 1992-1994. HIV infection (increasing from 0 to 2.9/100,000) replaced kidney/urinary tract infection (3.3 to 1.5/100,000) as the second most common category of infectious disease mortality. There were also significant increases in mortality from septicaemia (1.0 to 2.6/100,000), and viral hepatitis (0.2 to 0.5/100,000). The only group in which infectious disease mortality increased was men aged 25-44 years (3.4 to 15.1/100,000). The Northern Territory had the highest mortality rate from infectious disease, but showed a substantial decline (162 to 76/100,000) over the study period. There were also significant declines in Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia.


CONCLUSIONS
Mortality from infectious disease in Australia declined overall between 1979 and 1994. The substantial decline in the Northern Territory suggests a decline among indigenous Australians. HIV infection has become a leading cause of infectious disease mortality, particularly among adult males.
National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney. gdore@nchecr.unsw.edu.au
G J
GJ
Dore
Y
Y
Li
A J
AJ
Plant
J M
JM
Kaldor
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged