Number of people requiring interventions against neglected tropical diseases

The WHO have identified 20 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), both communicable and non-communicable, that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries.

The NTD portfolio currently includes: • Buruli ulcer • Chagas disease • Dengue and Chikungunya • Dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease) • Echinococcosis • Foodborne trematodiases • Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) • Leishmaniasis • Leprosy (Hansen's disease) • Lymphatic filariasis • Mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses • Onchocerciasis (river blindness) • Rabies • Scabies and other ectoparasites • Schistosomiasis • Soil-transmitted helminthiases • Snakebite envenoming • Taeniasis/Cysticercosis • Trachoma • Yaws (Endemic treponematoses)

Of the currently noted NTDs, only chikungunya, dengue, leprosy (Hansen’s disease) and rabies are nationally notifiable in Australia.

Chikungunya

Chikungunya is not currently endemic in Australia. There have been no reported cases of locally-acquired chikungunya in Australia, though mosquitoes capable of spreading the virus are present in some areas of Queensland. From 2015 to 2020, the number of notified chikungunya cases in Australia has ranged between 32 and 114 annually, with a mean of 81 cases (Table 1).

Between 2015 and 2020, notified Chikungunya infections in Australia were most frequently acquired in areas of South and South East Asia, particularly India and Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. Trends in overseas acquisition are influenced by the volume and frequency of travel to source countries and their local chikungunya epidemiology.

Dengue

Dengue is not currently endemic in Australia, but outbreaks associated with locally acquired cases do occur in coastal areas of mainland North Queensland, where the Aedes aegypti mosquito is present in suitable environments near susceptible populations. The number of notified dengue cases in Australia from 2015 to 2020 have ranged between 222 and 2,238 annually, with a mean of 1,284 cases (Table 1).

In Australia, overseas-acquired dengue infections are most frequently acquired in South East Asia, particularly Indonesia. Trends in overseas acquisition are influenced by the volume and frequency of travel to source countries and their local dengue epidemiology. On average, over 90% of dengue cases reported annually in Australia are overseas acquired.

Leprosy

Leprosy is an uncommon disease in Australia with the majority of cases being diagnosed in migrants from leprosy endemic countries and occasionally in local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.

In 2020, a total of 6 cases of leprosy were notified (Table 1), representing a rate of less than 0.1 case per 100,000 population. Between 2015 and 2020, annual notifications of leprosy in Australia have ranged from 6 to 21 cases per year (Table 1).

Rabies

Australia is considered to be free of rabies with the last overseas acquired case being reported in 1987.

*The data provided were extracted from the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS) on 23 February 2021. Due to the dynamic nature of the NNDSS, data in this extract are subject to retrospective revision and may vary from data reported in published NNDSS reports and reports of notification data by states and territories.

Trachoma

Australia is a signatory to the World Health Organization (WHO) Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by 2020. Elimination of trachoma as a public health problem is defined by the WHO as ‘community prevalence of trachoma in children aged 1-9 years of less than 5%’.

As part of its WHO obligation to eliminate trachoma, Australia is required to regularly collect data on trachoma prevalence. The National Trachoma Surveillance and Reporting Unit, managed by the Kirby Institute, University of NSW, provides surveillance and annual reporting of trachoma prevalence, using State and Territory Governments’ data.

Trachoma program activities, data collection and analysis are guided by the National Guidelines for the Public Health Management of Trachoma in Australia (revised in 2013 and published in 2014 – see link). The below information should be read in conjunction with the Guidelines.

In 2019, 115 communities were identified as being ‘at-risk’ of trachoma. A total of 4419 people received antibiotic (azithromycin) treatment for trachoma (including people diagnosed with trachoma, their household contacts and community members as required by the Guidelines). This is fewer doses of azithromycin delivered in 2019 as compared to 2018 (4419 compared to 6576).

Strong progress has been made in reducing the overall prevalence of active trachoma rate from 14% in 2009 to 4.5% in 2019.

Further information can be found at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-oatsih-pubs-trachreport ; and http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-cdna-pubs-trachoma.htm