Below are charts showing patients notified to NSW Health with a particular infectious disease. The first graph shows the number of notifications by year, the second by recent month. The third graph shows the age and gender of patients notified in the last year.
Name the infectious disease …
Answer
Notifications of the condition have declined steadily over the last decade. Although it is hard to discern any clear seasonal pattern, there does seem to be a peak in January. Infection seems to be highest among school aged children, followed by adults, with few infections in older adults. In adults there seems to be a slight male preponderance.
These data might be consistent with an infection that is associated with overseas travel during summer, one associated with lifelong immunity, and perhaps male risk behaviours.
The disease is hepatitis A. See: http://www1.health.nsw.gov.au/IDD/#/hepa
