Communicable diseases, NSW: February 2001

Abstract

As 2000 drew to a close, there were declines in the notifications of several important infections (Figure 4). Numbers of new cases of gonorrhoea are beginning to decline; as are cases of meningococcal disease after reaching a seasonal peak (33) in September. Pertussis notifications also seemed to have peaked in September (504), but the epidemic may be shifting from rural areas to metropolitan Sydney. Laboratory notifications of rubella increased in late 2000, and peaked in October (55). Most cases notified were young men, with a large proportion residing in the Hunter Area (Table 6).