title: Arboviral diseases and malaria in Australia, 2013-14: Annual report of the National Arbovirus and Malaria Advisory Committee.
abstract: This report describes the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases of public health importance in Australia during the 2013-14 season (1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014) and includes data from human notifications, sentinel chicken, vector and virus surveillance programs. The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System received notifications for 8,898 cases of disease transmitted by mosquitoes during the 2013-14 season. The Australasian alphaviruses Barmah Forest virus and Ross River virus accounted for 6,372 (72%) total notifications. However, over-diagnosis and possible false positive diagnostic test results for these 2 infections mean that the true burden of infection is likely overestimated, and as a consequence, the case definitions have been amended. There were 94 notifications of imported chikungunya virus infection and 13 cases of imported Zika virus infection. There were 212 notifications of dengue virus infection acquired in Australia and 1,795 cases acquired overseas, with an additional 14 cases for which the place of acquisition was unknown. Imported cases of dengue were most frequently acquired in Indonesia (51%). No cases of locally-acquired malaria were notified during the 2013-14 season, though there were 373 notifications of overseas-acquired malaria. In 2013-14, arbovirus and mosquito surveillance programs were conducted in most jurisdictions. Surveillance for exotic mosquitoes at international ports of entry continues to be a vital part of preventing the spread of vectors of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue to new areas of Australia, with 13 detections of exotic mosquitoes at the ports of entry in 2013-14.
authors.affiliation: Zoonoses, Foodborne and Emerging Infectious Diseases Section, Health Protection Policy Branch, Office of Health Protection, Department of Health, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
authors.forename: Katrina E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Knope
authors.affiliation: Brisbane City Council Mosquito Management, Fortitude Valley, Queensland.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muller
authors.affiliation: Medical Entomology, Centre for Disease Control, Health Protection Division, Northern Territory Department of Health, Royal Darwin Hospital, Casuarina, Northern Territory.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kurucz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Entomology, Pathology West, Institute for Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales.
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Doggett
authors.affiliation: Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, Department of Health, Melbourne, Victoria.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.affiliation: >Arbovirus Surveillance and Research Laboratory, School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia. As of July 2015: Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, QEII Medical Centre, Western Australian Department of Health, Nedlands, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Cheryl A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.affiliation: Health Protection, Public Health, South Australian Department of Health, Adelaide, South Australia.
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hobby
authors.affiliation: Communicable Diseases Branch, Department of Health, Queensland Health, Herston, Queensland.
authors.forename: Sonya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.affiliation: Department of Economic Development AgriBio Centre, Victoria.
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.affiliation: Operational Science Services, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Compliance Division, Eagle Farm, Queensland.
authors.forename: Angus
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sly
authors.affiliation: Royal Darwin Hospital Northern Territory; Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory.
authors.forename: Bart J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Currie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D000818:Animals; D001102:Arbovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D009033:Culicidae / Q000821:virology*; D003715:Dengue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D018563:Disease Notification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014195:Travel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000071243:Zika Virus Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission