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NNDSS – IMD Public Data Set: 2009-2019 Page 1
Data caveats
National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System
Invasive Meningococcal Disease Public Data Set
2009 to 2019
INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
DATA CAVEATS AND INTERPRETATION …………………………………………………………………………………………………2
General …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Cross-border NNDSS Notification Protocol ………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Case definition and notification to the NNDSS …………………………………………………………………………………..3
FIELD DEFINITIONS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Year and Month …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
State …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Serogroup ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..4
Age Group …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Sex ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….4
Indigenous status …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5
Vaccination status ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Total vaccinations…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5
RESOURCES ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6

NNDSS – IMD Public Data Set: 2009-2019 Page 2
Data caveats
INTRODUCTION
? The Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) Public Data Set includes notification data collected on IMD
caused by Neisseria meningitidis via the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) from
1 January 2009 to 31 December 2019.
? See Table 1 for a description of the NNDSS data available in the IMD Public Data Set.
Table 1: NNDSS data available in the IMD Public Data Set
State or Territory NNDSS Data
Australian Capital
Territory
Australian Capital Territory data are not included in this data set. See notes
below with regard to how access to these data.
New South Wales Year, Month, State, Serogroup, Age , Sex, Indigenous Status, Vaccination Status,
number and type of vaccines given.
Northern Territory Year, Month, State, Serogroup, Age , Sex, Indigenous Status, Vaccination Status,
number and type of vaccines given.
Queensland Year, Month, State, Serogroup, Age , Sex, Indigenous Status, Vaccination Status,
number and type of vaccines given.
South Australia Year, Month, State, Serogroup, Age , Sex, Indigenous Status, Vaccination Status,
number and type of vaccines given.
Victoria and Tasmania Year, Month, State, Serogroup, Age , Sex, Indigenous Status, Vaccination Status,
number and type of vaccines given.
Western Australia Year, Month, State, Serogroup, Age , Sex, Indigenous Status, Vaccination Status,
number and type of vaccines given.
? If IMD data for Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are required, a formal data request should be
submitted directly to the Surveillance & Management, Communicable Disease Control, Health
Protection Service. Please contact the Surveillance Officer on (02) 6205 2155 or at cdc@act.gov.au.
DATA CAVEATS AND INTERPRETATION
It should be noted there are several caveats to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS)
data for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) notifications in this public dataset release:
General
? These invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) notification data are based on data extracted from the
NNDSS on the date specified in the downloaded MS Excel IMD public dataset. Due to the dynamic
nature of the NNDSS, data on this extract is subject to retrospective revision and may vary from data
reported in published NNDSS reports and reports of notification data by states and territories.
? These notification data represent only a proportion of the total cases occurring in the community, that
is, only those cases for which health care was sought, a test conducted and a diagnosis made, followed
by a notification to health authorities. The degree of under-representation of all cases is unknown and is
most likely variable by disease and jurisdiction.
? In interpreting these data it is important to note that changes in notifications over time may not solely
reflect changes in disease prevalence or incidence. Changes in testing policies; screening programs
including the preferential testing of high risk populations; the use of less invasive and more sensitive
diagnostic tests; and periodic awareness campaigns, may influence the number of notifications that
occur annually.
NNDSS – IMD Public Data Set: 2009-2019 Page 3
Data caveats
Cross-border NNDSS Notification Protocol
? From 1 January 2009 the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) implemented the
Cross-border NNDSS Notification Protocol. The Protocol establishes that notifications are reported by
the jurisdiction of residence, regardless of the jurisdiction of diagnosis. In the instance that a case is
usually resident overseas, the notification is reported to the NNDSS by the jurisdiction of diagnosis.
Case definition and notification to the NNDSS
? The current surveillance case definitions for these infections, including any historical edits, are available
at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-surveil-nndss-casedefs cd_mening.htm
? In September 2003, new national case definitions for notifications reported to NNDSS were endorsed by
the Communicable Diseases Network Australia, with nearly all jurisdictions implementing the new
definitions in January 2004 (New South Wales commenced in August 2004). Prior to the adoption of the
national definitions, some jurisdictions used the 1994 NHMRC case definitions, some jurisdictions used
modified definitions that were based on the NHMRC case definitions, and some others used definitions
specific to the state for some diseases.
? The case definition for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) was last reviewed in 2009, with changes
implemented across all jurisdictions in 2010.
FIELD DEFINITIONS
Year and Month
The year and month refers to when the notified case was diagnosed with IMD.
Notes on interpretation:
? The diagnosis year and month are taken from the “Diagnosis date”, which is a derived field representing
the disease onset date or when the date of onset is not known, the earliest of the specimen collection,
the notification, or the notification received dates.
State
The State or Territory which sends the notification. Additionally, this field represents the jurisdiction of
residence of the notified case. Where the case usually resides overseas, State is the jurisdiction where the
diagnosis took place.
Note: information on IMD cases from the Australian Capital Territory are not available in this public dataset.
Please contact the Surveillance & Management, Communicable Disease Control, Health Protection Service.
Data domain:
? NSW = New South Wales
? NT = Northern Territory
? Qld = Queensland
? SA = South Australia
? Vic/Tas = Victoria and Tasmania
? WA = Western Australia
NNDSS – IMD Public Data Set: 2009-2019 Page 4
Data caveats
Serogroup
The serogroup of the meningococcal bacteria causing disease in the notified case.
Data domain:
? B
? C
? W
? Y
? Unknown
Notes on interpretation:
Where serogroup information is reported as ‘unknown’ these notifications include the following;
? Isolates that were non groupable: where determination of the serogroup was attempted by the
laboratory, but was not successful, and is reported as a non groupable strain.
? Isolates that were not grouped: where the serogroup is not available because testing could not be
undertaken, including for the following reasons: there was no isolate, the isolate was not referred for
grouping, the isolate was not viable, there was insufficient genetic material from the isolate for
grouping to occur or the case was diagnosed clinically.
Age Group
Age in years of the notified case at onset of disease presented in 5 year age groups. Age is based on the age
of the individual as reported to the health authority or the calculated age at onset, using the difference
between date of birth and diagnosis date. The age at onset is always rounded down to the age at last
birthday, for example a case aged 3 years and 10 months at disease onset is reported as being 3 years. Age
groups are presented according to a notified case’s age in completed years, for example the 00-04 years age
group includes cases from birth to 4 full years of age, but less than 5 years of age.
Where age at onset is not reported by the jurisdiction, it is calculated by determining the age at the date of
diagnosis.
Data domain:
? Five-year age groups: 0 to 84 years
? 85+: 85 years and over
Sex
These data represent the sex of the individual at the time of notification.
Data domain:
? Male
? Female
? X
? Unknown.
Notes on interpretation:
? In accordance with the Australian Government Guidelines on Recognition of Sex and Gender ‘X’ can
equal indeterminate, intersex or unspecified.
? ‘Unknown’ is reserved for where no information on sex is provided.
NNDSS – IMD Public Data Set: 2009-2019 Page 5
Data caveats
Indigenous status
The determination of the Indigenous status is by descent, self-identification and community acceptance.
Only the Indigenous status text descriptor field has been provided:
Data domain:
? Indigenous (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin)
? Non-Indigenous (Not of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin)
? Unknown (Not stated, unknown or blank)
Notes on interpretation:
? While Indigenous status for IMD is generally high, it should be interpreted with caution as completeness
of this field varies from year to year and jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
Vaccination status
A notified case’s reported vaccination status
Data domain:
? Vaccinated
? Not Vaccinated
? Unknown
Notes on interpretation:
? The vaccination status is a derived field based on the vaccination history provided by states and
territories.
? Vaccination status relates only to the vaccines against the meningococcal serogroup causing the
disease.
? Vaccinated – the notified case was vaccinated against the meningococcal serogroup causing the disease
at least 2 weeks before onset of the disease.
? Not vaccinated – the notified case was not vaccinated against the meningococcal serogroup causing the
disease or was not vaccinated for IMD or was not eligible for vaccination either because the case was
too young or a vaccine effective against the causative serogroup was not available prior to disease
onset.
? Unknown – the vaccination status of the notified case is missing/blank, not recorded or the serogroup
was unknown.
Total vaccinations
The total number of any vaccinations given for invasive meningococcal disease.
Notes on interpretation:
? The total vaccinations given field represents the sum of all vaccines given in the adjacent columns (J
through S).
? A case can be “not vaccinated” even when vaccines have been given, as per vaccination status
interpretative notes above.
? Vaccines available in the public and or private domain in Australia for invasive meningococcal disease
are listed in columns J through S as follows:
o Mencevax ACWY – for serogroup A,C,W, Y disease
o Menomune – for serogroup A,C,W, Y disease
o Meningitec – for serogroup C disease
o Menugate – for serogroup C disease
o Neis Vac-C – for serogroup C disease
NNDSS – IMD Public Data Set: 2009-2019 Page 6
Data caveats
o Bexsero – for serogroup B disease
o Menactra – for serogroup A,C,W, Y disease
o Menveo – for serogroup A,C,W, Y disease
o Menitorix – for serogroup C disease
For recommendations related to meningococcal vaccination please refer to the Australian Immunisation
Handbook listed in resources below.
RESOURCES
It is recommended that the following resources are used in interpreting the data provided:
? Australia’s notifiable diseases status: Annual report of the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance
System Annual report series published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence, available at:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-pubs-annlrpt-nndssar.htm
? Invasive Meningococcal W Disease National Surveillance Reports, available at:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-meningococcal-W.htm
? National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance Vaccine Preventable Diseases and
vaccination coverage series of reports available as supplements a:
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cdisupplements-1-lp
? For more information on the programmatic aspects of meningococcal vaccines please consult the
following sources:
o The Immunise Australia Program available at: http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/
o The Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th Ed 2013 (updated January 2014) available at:
http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/Handbook10-
home
o National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance vaccination history tables, available
at: http://www.ncirs.edu.au/immunisation/history/
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Department of Health acknowledges the Communicable Diseases Network Australia, the work of public
health officers involved in the collection of surveillance data; State and territory public health
communicable disease surveillance managers and data managers; the Australian National Neisseria
Network and all public and private laboratories that support meningococcal laboratory surveillance in
Australia.