title: A community outbreak of meningococcal serogroup B disease in western Sydney: the challenges of identification and significance.
abstract: The Communicable Diseases Network Australia guidelines provide information for early clinical and public health management of meningococcal disease, including community outbreaks. While community outbreaks of meningococcal serogroup C infections have been reported, community outbreaks of meningococcal serogroup B infections have not been declared in Australia. Three cases of meningococcal serogroup B disease occurred in 2 adjacent suburbs in western Sydney in Spring 2008. Although the temporal and geographic proximity of these cases fulfilled the criteria for a community outbreak, difficulties in establishing an epidemiological or serosubgroup link, and arbitrary definition of the term 'community' provide challenges for identifying such outbreaks. In addition, the declaration of a community outbreak of meningococcal B infection does not provide guidance for the public health response because a vaccine is not available and community-wide prophylaxis is not recommended.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jardine
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Truman
authors.forename: Vicky
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sheppeard
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weston
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines