AU: Spike in EV-71 cases in Sydney

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...tbreak-in-sydney/story-fngr8hax-1226608170625


Parents send warning after meningitis outbreak in Sydney

Charis Chang
Manly Daily
March 28, 2013 8:48AM

SAM Newton wants other parents to be aware of a meningitis outbreak on the northern beaches after his one-year-old daughter almost died this year.

Mr Newton is one of three peninsula parents whose children have developed the life-threatening disease.

Yesterday the Manly Daily reported that the Northern Sydney Local Health District had confirmed a spike in cases of meningitis, encephalitis and transverse myelitis, caused by enterovirus 71.

Since December last year, there have been 15 cases of encephalitis, three cases of viral meningitis and one case of spinal myelitis...

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: AU: Spike in EV-71 cases in Sydney

Child's death linked to EV71 virus
Date June 16, 2013

Melissa Davey and Julie Milland



An aggressive strain of a common virus that has killed three NSW children aged under two since December could be responsible for a fourth death.

The NSW Coroner is investigating the death to determine whether it was caused by EV71, an enterovirus associated with hand, foot and mouth disease.
...
Of 120 enterovirus-related hospital admissions between January and the start of June, 18 cases were confirmed as EV71.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/childs-death-linked-to-ev71-virus-20130615-2ob9c.html#ixzz2WNto3R5V

 

[Shiloh]

Re: AU: Spike in EV-71 cases in Sydney

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/rare-virus-linked-to-childs-death-in-nsw/4767102

Parents put on alert after deadly enterovirus linked to child's death in NSW
Updated 2 hours 40 minutes ago

The New South Wales Health Department is urging parents to be on the lookout for symptoms of a rare virus that has been linked to the death of a child.

The child was also suffering other infections, and doctors have not confirmed if enterovirus 71 (EV71) caused the death.

Three other young children's deaths in the past six months, including one in the Hunter region, have been linked to EV71...

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: AU: Spike in EV-71 cases in Sydney

An outbreak of enterovirus 71 in metropolitan Sydney: enhanced surveillance and lessons learnt


Alexis Zander, Philip N Britton, Tina Navin, Emily Horsley, Sean Tobin and Jeremy M McAnulty
Med J Aust 2014; 201 (11): 663-666.
doi:10.5694/mja14.00014

Abstract
Objective: To report the findings of the enhanced surveillance set up in New South Wales in response to the recent outbreak of human enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection.

Design and setting: A two-armed enhanced public health surveillance system including statewide emergency department surveillance and clinical surveillance at the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network.

Participants: Children aged less than 10 years with suspected or confirmed enterovirus infection.

Main outcome measures: Epidemiology of the outbreak, including weekly case counts, demographic information, geographic spread of the outbreak, and clinical presentation and progression.

Results: Statewide weekly case counts indicate that an epidemic of EV71 infection occurred in NSW from December 2012 until May 2013. Around 119 children were reported with disease severe enough to warrant admission to a tertiary Sydney children's hospital. Cases were spread throughout the Sydney metropolitan area and there is some evidence of geographic migration of the outbreak. Presenting features included fever, lethargy, myoclonus and skin rash. Only 24% of cases presented with classical hand, foot and mouth disease.

Conclusions: EV71 infection is likely to continue to be a public health problem in Australia. Surveillance of routinely collected emergency department data can provide a useful indication of its activity in the community.
...
continues at; https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2014...itan-sydney-enhanced-surveillance-and-lessons