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Notifiable and communicable diseases

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Notifiable and communicable diseases

Medical officers of health and health protection officers are responsible for receiving, investigating and responding to notifiable diseases and outbreaks in the community.

Our aim is to reduce future occurrences of infectious disease.

Notifiable diseases include:

  • enteric (intestinal or gut) diseases such as salmonella or campylobacter
  • vaccine preventable diseases such as measles or mumps
  • less common diseases such as meningitis, tuberculosis or legionellosis.

List of diseases notifiable by health practitioners and laboratories to the Medical Officer
of Health.

We receive notification from laboratories, health practitioners, or members of the public.

In response to a notification we may:

  • offer disease and infection control advice
  • arrange isolation from work, early childhood education, school etc.
  • organise clearance sampling for cases (people with the disease) or their close contacts.

We also investigate and respond to large local or national outbreaks or public health emergencies, for example pandemic influenza.

Monthly surveillance reports show current year-to-date rates for each notifiable disease in the Waikato, and month comparisons with the same month of the previous year. These are published in our monthly Public Health Bulletin.

Waikato DHB participates in national, regional and local programmes to prevent and respond to communicable and infectious diseases.

By law notification should be on suspicion by the health practitioner, we have published guidance on which ones require urgent notification. Click here to view [PDF, 411 KB].

Rheumatic fever is a serious but preventable illness disproportionally affecting Māori and Pasifika children.

It starts with a sore throat caused by streptococcus bacteria.

Drop-in swabbing services to test for rheumatic fever are provided by general practices, pathlabs, after-hours clinics, most pharmacies, some school nurses and community providers in the Waikato.

  • Available and free to all 4-19 year old Māori and Pacific children across the Waikato District presenting with a sore throat.
  • Available and free to all 4-19 year olds living in high deprivation (quintile 5) areas presenting with a sore throat.

More details for health professionals

Upon notification of a notifiable enteric disease (mostly via direct laboratory notification), the Public Health Unit will ask for the attached information to be completed by the attending doctor.

Please complete as much of this form as you are able to assist with the investigation of the case.

A guide for cases and contacts of food and waterborne illness prepared by the Public Health Unit, Waikato District Health Boardbased on the Ministry of Health “Communicable Disease Control Manual” (updated 2018). 

Exclusion and stool clearance criteria guideline [PDF, 69 KB]

High risk groups
  • Food handlers
  • Staff of health care facilities or early childhood services
  • Children aged under five years attending childhood services or other groups
  • Older children or adults at higher risk due to illness or disability

If you are not sure or require further information please contact Public Health Unit on 07 838 2569 or 0800 800 977.

Hepatitis B is an infectious disease which attacks the liver.  It is spread by contact with blood or other body fluids of an infected person, such as through open cuts, unprotected sexual contact, or sharing drug needles.  Most people recover from hepatitis B, and are no longer infectious afterwards; however some people have an ongoing infection, which can cause serious complications. 

There is an effective vaccine for hepatitis B, which is free for children, and some other high risk patient groups. It has been part of the routine childhood immunisations since 1988.

A baby born to a mother with hepatitis B has a high risk of becoming infected with hepatitis B at birth.  The baby can be protected from the virus by giving the hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin (special antibodies) directly after birth, as well as the usual childhood hepatitis B vaccines.    

Information for health professionals

Waikato hepatitis protocol [PDF, 55 KB] for management of pregnant woman, household contacts and babies born to HBsAg mothers

These diseases can cause serious complications, check with your doctor whether you and your family have been fully immunised against measles, mumps and rubella - catch up is free.

The best protection against measles is the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. You need two doses of MMR to be fully immunised. If you were born after 1 January 1969 check your vaccination status, as you may not be fully immunised. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor.

The vaccines are free for children and adults who have not previously received two doses of MMR. Vaccination is particularly important if you are planning to travel anywhere overseas, to protect yourself and to help prevent outbreaks in New Zealand.

Documents for health professionals

Measles

Measles flowchart for notifiers [PDF, 223 KB]

Measles notification form [PDF, 212 KB]

Mumps

Mumps flowchart for notifiers [PDF, 212 KB]

Mumps notification form [PDF, 207 KB]

 

Meningococcal disease can lead to serious infections including meningitis (inflammation of the brain membranes) and septicaemia (blood poisoning).

Common symptoms of meningococcal disease include sudden fever, a high fever, headache, sleepiness, joint and muscle pains.

Meningococcal disease is treated with antibiotics. It cannot be treated at home – it’s important to seek medical help immediately, as early treatment is very important.

There is a vaccine against meningococcal disease types A, C, Y and W and also a vaccine against type B. These vaccines are not free, except for some people who are seen as being at high risk for developing the disease (such as people with impaired immune systems).

  • In the Waikato region, we do not have a meningococcal disease outbreak and we did not have  any confirmed cases of the type W meningococcal disease during 2018, the type that caused the recent outbreak in Northland.
  • There has been no change to our usual meningococcal vaccination recommendations in the Waikato region. A targeted vaccination programme like that in Northland has not been recommended.

Public information on meningococcal disease / meningitis

AIDS, HIV infection, syphilis and gonorrhoea are notifiable diseases which health practitioners must notify using non-identifiable data.  

Notification process for health professionals

  • Notification must be made through this process, and cannot be made by phone. 
  • Please note that these notifications must be made using non-identifiable data.
  • For syphilis, gonorrhoea, and AIDS, go to the ESR STI surveillance page and follow the relevant instructions to complete the notification form. 

Syphilis – Completed forms should be sent to ESR (address and fax numbers are on the form)

AIDS - Fax the completed form to the PHU (fax 07 8382382).  This will lead to the AIDS Epidemiology Group (AEG) sending you a link to an AIDS questionnaire for completion.

Gonorrhoea – The notification form is web based

HIV infection – Cases of HIV are notified directly by laboratories.  Notifying health practitioners will receive a link to an HIV notification form for completion from the AEG.

Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly infectious disease that is spread by coughing and sneezing.

  • Our aim is to reduce spread as it can be very serious for babies.
  • Early treatment can reduce spread.
  • Immunisation during pregnancy protects babies.

The whooping cough vaccine has been and is available FREE for pregnant women in the second and third trimester of every pregnancy.

 Documents for health professionals

Pertussis GP flowchart [PDF, 182 KB]

Pertussis notification form [PDF, 384 KB]