Other news - October 2016

From July to September 2016, NSW Health issued advice about:

• An alert about poor infection control at a residential premise where cosmetic procedures had been performed (6 July 2016)
• A shigella alert for NSW clinicians during a shigellosis outbreak in Sydney (15 July 2016)
• Avoiding recalled rockmelon after Salmonella outbreak (3 August 2016)
• People with flu symptoms staying away from aged care facilities and vulnerable groups following a spike in influenza presentations to emergency departments, see Protect vulnerable people as flu cases rise (16 August 2016)
• Being alert to the symptoms of Meningococcal disease following an increase in cases in 2016, see Meningococcal disease warning (18 August 2016)
• NSW Health takes precautionary measures following international reports of infection due to the M. chimaera bacteria in patients who have undergone open heart surgery, see NSW Health replaces machines and alerts cardiologists to rare infection risk (23 August 2016)
• A MERS/CoV alert for Emergency Departments as Australians prepared to travel to the Middle East to undertake the annual Hajj pilgrimage (5 September 2016)

From July to September 2016, the Communicable Diseases Branch reported:

• New cases of Zika virus bringing the total confirmed cases in NSW in 2016 to 12.
• Gonorrhoea notifications continue to increase
• Viral gastroenteritis - new norovirus strains discovered, and continued outbreaks of gastroenteritis
• New cases of Legionellosis
• A slight upswing in pertussis cases in August despite a substantial decline since 2015
• There have been 27 cases of listeria report in NSW in 2016.
• Influenza activity continues to be high across NSW
• Increasing numbers of Invasive meningococcal disease; also cases of meningococcal conjunctivitis.
• post-exposure treatment to individuals to prevent lyssavirus infection following interaction with an aggressive flying fox
  increased case numbers in 2016 of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV)
• 1 new case of leprosy notified, the first for 2016
• Haemophilus influenzae type b –new cases reported
• Outbreak investigation into Salmonella Hvittingfoss following increase in notifications detected through routine surveillance.
• Confirmed cases of mumps
• World Hepatitis Day 28 July 2016 and people with chronic hep C encouraged to access newly available treatment
• The inaugural NSW Zoonoses Annual Report (2015) published online
• Report released on the Impact of infection control breaches at four Sydney dental clinics

See: CD Weekly Reports