Arboviral diseases and malaria in Australia, 2011-12: annual report of the National Arbovirus and Malaria Advisory Committee

Abstract

The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System received notifications for 7,875 cases of disease transmitted by mosquitoes during the 2011-12 season (1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012). The alphaviruses Barmah Forest virus and Ross River virus accounted for 6,036 (77%) of these. There were 18 notifications of dengue virus infection acquired in Australia and 1,390 cases that were acquired overseas, while for 38 cases, the place of acquisition was unknown. Imported cases of dengue in Australia were most frequently acquired in Indonesia. There were 20 imported cases of chikungunya virus. There were no notifications of locally-acquired malaria in Australia during the 2011-12 season. There were 314 notifications of overseas-acquired malaria and 41 notifications where the place of acquisition was unknown. Sentinel chicken, mosquito surveillance, viral detection in mosquitoes and climate modelling are used to provide early warning of arboviral disease activity in Australia. In 2011-12, sentinel chicken programs for the detection of flavivirus activity were conducted in most states with the risk of arboviral transmission. Other surveillance activities to detect the presence of arboviruses in mosquitoes or mosquito saliva or for surveying mosquito abundance included honey-baited trap surveillance, surveys of household containers that may provide suitable habitat for the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, and carbon dioxide baited traps. Surveillance for exotic mosquitoes at the border continues to be a vital part of preventing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases to new areas of Australia.