Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at higher risk of invasive meningococcal disease in NSW.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the completeness of data describing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status in NSW invasive meningococcal disease notifications and determine the relative risk for invasive meningococcal disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in NSW.


METHODS
Surveillance data from the NSW Notifiable Diseases Database was reviewed for 5-year periods between 1991 and 2005.


RESULTS
Invalid and missing data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status decreased from 42% to 8% during the study period. Higher rates of disease were found in young children and significantly higher rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0-4 years compared with their non-Aboriginal counterparts.


CONCLUSIONS
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in NSW experience higher rates of notified invasive meningococcal disease than non-Aboriginal children.
Massey
Peter
P
Hunter New England Population Health, Hunter New England Area Health Service, Australia. peter.massey@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
Durrheim
David
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors