PDF file - Department of Health and Ageing

National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, 2004
Annual report
In 2004, a total of 596 cases of syphilis of less than
two years duration were reported. This represents a
notifi cation rate of 3 cases per 100,000 population.
The Northern Territory had the highest notifi cation
rate at 28.5 cases per 100,000 population in 2004
(Table 15).
Table 15. Number and rates of notifications
of syphilis of less than two years duration
Australia, 2004, by state or territory and sex
Male Female Total
n Rate n Rate n Rate
ACT 3 1.9 1 0.6 4 1.2
NSW 257 7.7 37 1.1 294 4.4
NT 27 25.7 30 31.7 57 28.5
Qld 69 3.6 23 1.2 92 2.4
SA 4 0.5 4 0.5 8 0.5
Tas 2 0.8 2 0.8 4 0.8
Vic 81 3.3 8 0.3 89 1.8
WA 25 2.5 25 2.5 50 2.5
Total 468 4.7 128 1.3 596 3.0
The notifi cation rates of syphilis of less than two
years duration for males and females were 4.7 and
1.3 cases per 100,000 population respectively.
Notifi cation rates were higher in males than in
females in all jurisdictions except in the Northern
Territory, where females had higher rates (26 versus
32 cases per 100,000 population). Nationally, the
male to female ratio was 4:1. Notifi cation rates in
males peaked in the 35–39 year age group and in
females in the 20–24 year age group (Figure 33).
Figure 33. Notification rates of syphilis of less
than two years duration, Australia, 2004, by age
group and sex
Rate per 100,000 population
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
Age group (years)
45-49
50-54
55-59
Male
Female
60-64
65+
Data on Indigenous status was complete in 92 per
cent of cases of syphilis of less than two years
duration. The age adjusted notification rate was
37 cases per 100,000 Indigenous population, and
3 cases per 100,000 non-Indigenous population: a
ratio of Indigenous to non-Indigenous of 14:1. Age
specifi c notifi cation rates show that compared to the
non-Indigenous population, rates of syphilis of less
than two years duration in the Indigenous population
are in an order of magnitude higher and peak in a
younger age group (Figure 34).
Figure 34. Notification rates of syphilis of less
than two years duration, Australia, 2004, by
Indigenous status
Rate per 100,000 Indigenous population
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
Syphilis of more than two years or
unknown duration
Case defi nition – Syphilis of more than two
years or unknown duration
Only confirmed cases are reported.
25-29
30-34
Confirmed case: Does not meet the criteria for
a case of less than 2 years duration AND either
a reactive specifi c treponemal test (e.g. IgG
enzyme immunoassay, Treponema pallidum
haemagglutination assay, Treponema pallidum
particle agglutination, Treponema pallidum
immobilisation assay, or fl uorescent treponemal
antibody absorption) which is confi rmed either
by a reactive non-specifi c treponemal test
(e.g. Venereal Diseases Research Laboratory,
Rapid Plasma Reagin) OR a different specific
treponemal test if the non-specifi c treponemal
test is nonreactive AND the absence of a
history of documented previous adequate
treatment of syphilis, or endemic treponemal
disease (e.g. Yaws).
35-39
40-44
Age group (years)
45-49
Indigenous
Non Indigenous
50-54
55-59
60-64
65+
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Rate per 100,000 non-Indigenous population
CDI Vol 30 No 1 2006 43