Epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus in Central Queensland, Australia.

Abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants. Little is known about the epidemiology, burden, and seasonality of RSV in subtropical regions of Australia like Central Queensland. This information is important to plan prevention strategies, including therapeutics, future vaccines, and health system preparedness. We collected data on laboratory-confirmed RSV cases and admissions in Central Queensland for the period 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2022. From July 2021, RSV was listed as a nationally notifiable condition on laboratory-confirmed diagnosis. During the study period, 1,142 laboratory-confirmed cases of RSV (50.0% female sex) were reported, with 169 cases (14.8%) requiring hospital admission, 12 of which (7.1%) required intensive care unit/high dependency unit admissions; two deaths occurred. Of cases requiring hospital admission, RSV was listed as the primary diagnosis in 113/169 cases (66.9%); 63/169 admitted cases (37.3%) had a major comorbidity. Of all cases, 55.4% were in children < 5 years of age (20.9% hospitalised); 35.7% in children < 2 years of age (24.3% hospitalised), and 19.1% in children < 12 months of age (27.5% hospitalised). Children under five years of age made up 78.1% of admissions, a rate of 9.0 admissions per 1,000 children over the 18-month study period, with an average age of 15.8 months (standard deviation, SD: 13.1 months) in this cohort. Indigenous children aged < 5 years were over-represented in cases (rate ratio, RR: 1.6; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.3-1.9) and admissions (RR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.0-2.4). Antibiotics were prescribed to 48.5% of admitted cases under two years of age, despite documented bacterial infection in only 26.3% of these cases; antibiotic prescription was significantly higher in those who received a chest X-ray (p < 0.001). Of all cases, 33.5% occurred in July 2022 alone, with greater than 75.0% of cases occurring during June-August 2022. RSV showed year-round activity with a distinctive winter peak in 2022; however, this season was likely affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions and behaviours. Ongoing surveillance is required to better understand the epidemiology and seasonality of RSV in Central Queensland.

Evaluating Pilot Implementation of 'PenCS Flu Topbar' App in Medical Practices to Improve National Immunisation Program-Funded Seasonal Influenza Vaccination in Central Queensland, Australia.

BACKGROUND: The 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app was deployed in Central Queensland (CQ), Australia, medical practices through a pilot programme in March 2021. METHODS: We evaluated the app's user experience and examined whether the introduction of 'PenCS Flu Topbar' in medical practices could improve the coverage of NIP-funded influenza vaccinations. We conducted a mixed-method study including a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with key end-users and a quantitative analysis of influenza vaccine administrative data. RESULTS: 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app users reported positive experiences identifying patients eligible for NIP-funded seasonal influenza vaccination. A total of 3606 NIP-funded influenza vaccinations was administered in the eight intervention practices, 14% higher than the eight control practices. NIP-funded vaccination coverage within practices was significantly higher in the intervention practices (31.2%) than in the control practices (27.3%) (absolute difference: 3.9%; 95% CI: 2.9%-5.0%; p < 0.001). The coverage was substantially higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged more than 6 months, pregnant women and children aged 6 months to less than 5 years for the practices where the app was introduced when compared to control practices: incidence rate ratio (IRR) 2.4 (95% CI: 1.8-3.2), IRR 2.7 (95% CI: 1.8-4.2) and IRR 2.3 (1.8-2.9) times higher, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our evaluation indicated that the 'PenCS Flu Topbar' app is useful for identifying the patients eligible for NIP-funded influenza vaccination and is likely to increase NIP-funded influenza vaccine coverage in the eligible populations. Future impact evaluation including a greater number of practices and a wider geographical area is essential.

Estimating the incidence of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infection in three regions of Queensland, Australia, winter 2022: findings from a novel longitudinal testing-based sentinel surveillance programme.

OBJECTIVE: The 2022 Australian winter was the first time that COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were circulating in the population together, after two winters of physical distancing, quarantine and borders closed to international travellers. We developed a novel surveillance system to estimate the incidence of COVID-19, influenza and RSV in three regions of Queensland, Australia. DESIGN: We implemented a longitudinal testing-based sentinel surveillance programme. Participants were provided with self-collection nasal swabs to be dropped off at a safe location at their workplace each week. Swabs were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR. Symptomatic participants attended COVID-19 respiratory clinics to be tested by multiplex PCR for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A and B and RSV. Rapid antigen test (RAT) results reported by participants were included in the analysis. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Between 4 April 2022 and 3 October 2022, 578 adults were recruited via their workplace. Due to rolling recruitment, withdrawals and completion due to positive COVID-19 results, the maximum number enrolled in any week was 423 people. RESULTS: A total of 4290 tests were included. Participation rates varied across the period ranging from 25.9% to 72.1% of enrolled participants. The total positivity of COVID-19 was 3.3%, with few influenza or RSV cases detected. Widespread use of RAT may have resulted in few symptomatic participants attending respiratory clinics. The weekly positivity rate of SARS-CoV-2 detected during the programme correlated with the incidence of notified cases in the corresponding communities. CONCLUSION: This testing-based surveillance programme could estimate disease trends and be a useful tool in settings where testing is less common or accessible. Difficulties with recruitment meant the study was underpowered. The frontline sentinel nature of workplaces meant participants were not representative of the general population but were high-risk groups providing early warning of disease.

Epidemiology of COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities during postvaccine period: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to define the epidemiology of COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities (ACFs) during the postvaccine period, including vaccine effectiveness (VE) for this high-risk group. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Ovid Medline, Ovid Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane databases were searched through 1 September 2023. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Any original observational studies and trials reporting data on COVID-19 outbreaks among the partially/fully vaccinated residents from ACFs during or after the worldwide implementation of vaccine roll-out. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: We estimated the attack rate, case fatality rate, mortality rate and VE during postvaccine period. Random effect model was adopted for meta-analysis. Quality assessment on all included studies was performed using the Meta Quality Appraisal Tool. RESULTS: 38 articles were included from 12 countries reporting 79 outbreaks with 1708 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from 78 ACFs. The pooled attack rate was 28% (95% CI 20% to 37%) among the fully vaccinated residents. Two-thirds (62.5%) of the index cases were unvaccinated healthcare professionals (eg, physicians, nurses) and caregivers. Unvaccinated residents had a significantly higher rates (12%) (95% CI 7% to 19%) of mortality compared with the vaccinated residents (2%) (95% CI% 1 to 4%) and the post-COVID-19 vaccine estimates for case fatality rate (13% vs 23%) and hospitalisation rate (17% vs 37%) were substantially lower. VE in preventing disease among residents in ACFs was 73% (95% CI 49% to 86). Overall, the included studies were heterogeneous in nature, however, the risk of bias was low to moderate. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reaffirmed the impact of vaccination as a key public health measure to minimise the burden of COVID-19 in ACFs. Facilities with higher crowding indexes should be prioritised for vaccination and should advocate for higher vaccination targets among staff and residents as a critical intervention strategy to minimise disease burden in this vulnerable population.

Active prospective national surveillance for congenital and neonatal varicella in Australia shows potential prevention opportunities.

To compare the incidence and outcomes of congenital and neonatal varicella in Australia in the pre-vaccination (1995-1997) and post-vaccination era (after 2005 to November 2020), active prospective national surveillance for congenital varicella syndrome (CVS) and neonatal varicella infection (NVI) was conducted through the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU). Compared with 1995-1997, there was a 91.5% reduction in the incidence of CVS and a 91.3% reduction in the incidence of NVI in 2009-2020. However, almost half of the mothers in 2009-2020 were born overseas and came from countries without a vaccination program. Although there has been a substantial and sustained decrease in the reported incidence of CVS and NVI in Australia since 2006, congenital and neonatal varicella infections persist. Thus, there is an opportunity for targeted screening of varicella in young migrant, asylum seeker and refugee women at risk of varicella infection and prioritisation for vaccination to prevent CVS and NVI.

SMS reminders increase on-time vaccination in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants.

Abstract: Timely immunisation is important to protect children from communicable diseases. However, immunisation uptake in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under the age of two years is often lower than in non-Indigenous children. This contributes to the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and non-Indigenous children. We have tested the effectiveness of short message service (SMS) reminders in improving timeliness of childhood immunisation in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants in regional Queensland, Australia. Reminders were sent to parents of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, at five immunisation age milestones: six weeks, four months, six months, 12 months, and 18 months. There was a significant improvement in the proportion of children vaccinated on-time (within 30 days of the due date), compared to an earlier age cohort, at all milestones except 12 months. The absolute risk difference (ARD) of on-time vaccination between the two cohorts ranged between 4.7% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.1-8.2%, at six weeks) and 12.9% (95% CI: 7.4-18.5%, at six months). The likelihood of on-time vaccination (rate ratio, RR) in the intervention group compared to the control group ranged from 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01-1.10, at six weeks) to 1.31 (95% CI: 1.14-1.50, at 18 months). SMS reminders were associated with an improvement in immunisation timeliness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants at all age milestones measured except 12 months.

Protocol for a winter sentinel surveillance program of notifiable respiratory viruses in Queensland.

BACKGROUND: With the reduction in access to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and changes in testing guidelines in Australia, a reduced number of people are seeking testing for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), limiting the opportunity to monitor disease transmission. Knowledge of community transmission of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses is essential to better predict subsequent surges in cases during the pandemic to alert health services, protect vulnerable populations and enhance public health measures. We describe a methodology for a testing-based sentinel surveillance program to monitor disease in the community for early signal detection of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses. METHODS/DESIGN: A longitudinal active testing-based sentinel surveillance program for respiratory viruses (including SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, influenza B and Respiratory Syncytial Virus) will be implemented in some regions of Queensland. Adults will be eligible for enrolment if they are part of specific community groups at increased risk of exposure and have not had a COVID-19 infection in the last 13 weeks. Recruitment via workplaces will occur in-person, via email and through online advertisement. Asymptomatic participants will be tested via PCR for SARS-CoV-2 infection by weekly self-collected nasal swabs. In addition, symptomatic participants will be asked to seek SARS-CoV-2 and additional respiratory virus PCR testing at nominated COVID-19 testing sites. SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory virus prevalence data will be analysed weekly and at the end of the study period. DISCUSSION: Once implemented, this surveillance program will determine the weekly prevalence of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses in the broader community by testing a representative sample of adults, with an aim to detect early changes in the baseline positivity rate. This information is essential to define the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in the community in near-real time to inform public health control measures and prepare health services and other stakeholders for a rise in service demand.

Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant on a single liquified natural gas (LNG) vessel, with estimates of vaccine effectiveness.

In August 2021, there was an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta variant on an international liquified natural gas (LNG) vessel offshore to Gladstone, Queensland. Fourteen of the 26 crew members aboard the vessel tested positive for SARS-COV-2 on PCR during the outbreak. Vaccine effectiveness (VE) was 52% for all lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections, 65% for symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and 100% for severe SARS-CoV-2. The attack rate (AR) of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant was 54% (14/26). With heightened public health measures and infection control practices, we were able to declare the outbreak over in 26 days.

Protocol on establishing a prospective enhanced surveillance of vaccine preventable diseases in residential aged care facilities in Central Queensland, Australia: an observational study.

INTRODUCTION: Infectious diseases are a major cause of mortality and morbidity among the highly vulnerable occupants of residential aged care facilities (RACFs). The burden of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) among RACFs residents is mostly unknown and there is a lack of quality data from population-based prospective VPD surveillance in RACFs. The increasing burden of emerging and existing VPDs (eg, COVID-19, influenza, pneumococcal, pertussis and varicella-zoster) necessitates the establishment of an active enhanced surveillance system to provide real-time evidence to devise strategies to reduce the burden of VPDs in RACFs. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: This study proposes a prospective active enhanced surveillance that will be implemented in RACFs across the Central Queensland (CQ) region. The study aims to measure the burden, identify aetiologies, risk factors, predictors of severe outcomes (eg, hospitalisations, mortality) and impact of the existing National Immunization Program (NIP) funded vaccines in preventing VPDs in this vulnerable population. CQ Public Health Unit (CQPHU) will implement the active surveillance by collecting demographic, clinical, pathological, diagnostic, therapeutic and clinical outcome data from the RACFs based on predefined selection criteria and case report forms as per routine public health practices. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate regression analysis will be conducted to identify the predictors of morbidity and clinical outcomes following infection. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the CQHHS Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) (reference number HREC/2021/QCQ/74305). This study involves data that is routinely collected as part of the surveillance of notifiable conditions under the Public Health Act 2005. The CQHHS HREC approved a request to waive consent requirements of study participants as researchers will be provided non-identifiable data. The findings from the study will be actively disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, social and print media, federal, state, and local authorities to reflect on the results that may facilitate revision of policy and highlight the stakeholders, funding bodies both locally and internationally.

Epidemiology of mumps outbreaks and the impact of an additional dose of MMR vaccine for outbreak control in regional Queensland, Australia, 2017-2018.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there have been ongoing outbreaks of mumps reported in Northern and North-Western Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, Australia. We aimed to define the epidemiology of mumps outbreaks in Central Queensland, Australia between October 2017 and October 2018 and evaluate the effectiveness of an additional dose of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. METHODS: A retrospective case control study was conducted, including outbreak investigations with laboratory-confirmed cases of mumps and subsequent comparison with matched controls. We analysed mandatory notifications from the Queensland Health Notifiable Conditions System database and immunisation information from the Queensland Health Vaccination Information and Admin System (VIVAS) and the Australian Immunisation Register. RESULTS: Between October 2017 and October 2018, there were 93 cases of mumps reported in Central Queensland with three distinct outbreaks: a discrete Indigenous community; a correctional facility; and a boarding school. Among all cases, 74 (79.6%) were fully vaccinated and 14 (15.1%) were partially vaccinated with MMR vaccine. Eighty-six cases (92.5%) were reported among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In all outbreaks, an additional dose of MMR vaccine was offered with 35.4%, 73.6% and 35.8% of the target population being immunised in the discrete Indigenous community, the correctional facility and the boarding school, respectively. Prior to this additional dose of MMR, the mumps attack rate was 31.0 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 24.2-39.0) per 1000 population, compared to the post-additional dose MMR attack rate of 10.6 (95% CI: 6.7-15.9) per 1000 population. CONCLUSION: An additional or booster dose of MMR should be included as an effective public health intervention strategy, particularly in communal or high-density living conditions to control mumps outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations.

A norovirus gastroenteritis outbreak in an Australian child-care center: A household-level analysis.

There is a large burden of norovirus disease in child-care centers in Australia and around the world. Despite the ubiquity of norovirus outbreaks in child-care centers, little is known about the extent of this burden within the child-care center and the surrounding household clusters. Therefore, we performed an in-depth analysis of a gastroenteritis outbreak to examine the patterns of transmissions, household attack rates and the basic reproduction number (R0) for Norovirus in a child-care facility. We used data from parental interviews of suspected cases sent home with gastroenteritis at a child-care center between 24th of August and 18th of September 2020. A total of 52 persons in 19 household clusters were symptomatic in this outbreak investigation. Of all transmissions, 23 (46.9%) occurred in the child-care center, the rest occurring in households. We found a household attack rate of 36.5% (95% CI 27.3, 47.1%). Serial intervals were estimated as mean 2.5 ± SD1.45 days. The R0, using time-dependent methods during the growth phase of the outbreak (days 2 to 8) was 2.4 (95% CI 1.50, 3.50). The count of affected persons of a child-care center norovirus outbreak is approximately double the count of the total symptomatic staff and attending children. In the study setting, each symptomatic child-care attendee likely infected one other child-care attendee or staff and just over one household contact on average.

Re-emergence of dengue virus in regional Queensland: 2019 dengue virus outbreak in Rockhampton, Central Queensland, Australia.

OBJECTIVE(S): To describe an autochthonous dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) outbreak in Central Queensland from May 2019 and subsequent public health actions. DESIGN AND SETTING: Public health outbreak investigation of locally acquired DENV-2 cases in Rockhampton, Central Queensland. This included laboratory investigations, associated mosquito vector surveillance, and control measures implemented in response to the outbreak. RESULTS: Twenty-one locally-acquired DENV-2 cases were identified during the Rockhampton outbreak (from 23 May to 7 October 2019): 13 laboratory-confirmed and eight probable cases. Clinical symptoms included lethargy (100%); fever (95%); headache (95%); and aches and pains (90%). Inspections of premises demonstrated that Aedes aegypti was present in 9.5% of those investigated which was more than half of the premises identified as containing mosquitoes. Nucleotide sequencing of a DENV-2 isolate recovered from the first confirmed case and DENV-2 RNA from an additional 5 patients indicated a single DENV-2 strain was responsible for the outbreak which was most closely related to DENV-2 strains from Southeast Asia. CONCLUSIONS: The 2019 DENV-2 outbreak in Rockhampton, Central Queensland, Australia, likely resulted from the importation of a strain, most closely related to DENV-2 strains from Southeast Asia and is the first reported outbreak in the region specifically implicating DENV-2. Given the presence of Aedes aegypti in Rockhampton, appropriate medical and mosquito avoidance advice; ongoing surveillance; and deployment of mosquito control strategies for the prevention of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases should be priorities for this region.

The barriers and enablers to downloading the COVIDSafe app - a topic modelling analysis.

OBJECTIVE: We report a survey in regional Queensland to understand the reasons for suboptimal uptake of the COVIDSafe app. METHODS: A short five-minute electronic survey disseminated to healthcare professionals, mining groups and school communities in the Central Queensland region. Free text responses and their topics were modelled using natural language processing and a latent Dirichlet model. RESULTS: We received a total of 723 responses; of these, 69% had downloaded the app and 31% had not. The respondents' reasons for not downloading the app were grouped under four topics: lack of perceived risk of COVID-19/lack of perceived need and privacy issues; phone-related issues; tracking and misuse of data; and trust, security and credibility. Among the 472 people who downloaded the app and provided text amenable to text mining, the two topics most commonly listed were: to assist with contact tracing; and to return to normal. CONCLUSIONS: This survey of a regional population found that lack of perceived need, concerns around privacy and technical difficulties were the major barriers to users downloading the application. Implications for public health: Health promotion campaigns aimed at increasing the uptake of the COVIDSafe app should focus on promoting how the app will assist with contact tracing to help return to 'normal'. Additionally, health promotors should address the app's impacts on privacy, people's lack of perceived need for the app and technical barriers.

Epidemiology and clinical features of COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities (ACFs) often have devastating consequences. However, epidemiologically these outbreaks are not well defined. We aimed to define such outbreaks in ACFs by systematically reviewing literature published during the current COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We searched 11 bibliographic databases for literature published on COVID-19 in ACFs between December 2019 and September 2020. Original studies reporting extractable epidemiological data as part of outbreak investigations or non-outbreak surveillance of ACFs were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. PROSPERO registration: CRD42020211424. FINDINGS: We identified 5,148 publications and selected 49 studies from four continents reporting data on 214,380 residents in 8,502 ACFs with 25,567 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Aged care residents form a distinct vulnerable population with single-facility attack rates of 45% [95% CI 32-58%] and case fatality rates of 23% [95% CI 18-28%]. Of the cases, 31% [95% CI 28-34%] were asymptomatic. The rate of hospitalization amongst residents was 37% [95% CI 35-39%]. Data from 21 outbreaks identified a resident as the index case in 58% of outbreaks and a staff member in 42%. Findings from the included studies were heterogeneous and of low to moderate quality in risk of bias assessment. INTERPRETATION: The clinical presentation of COVID-19 varies widely in ACFs residents, from asymptomatic to highly serious cases. Preventing the introduction of COVID-19 into ACFs is key, and both residents and staff are a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination. Rapid diagnosis, identification of primary and secondary cases and close contacts plus their isolation and quarantine are of paramount importance. FUNDING: Queensland Advancing Clinical Research Fellowship awarded to Prof. Gulam Khandaker by Queensland Health's Health Innovation, Investment and Research Office (HIRO), Office of the Director-General.

Notifiable diseases after implementation of COVID-19 public health prevention measures in Central Queensland, Australia.

ABSTRACT: The implementation of public health measures to control the current COVID-19 pandemic (such as wider lockdowns, overseas travel restrictions and physical distancing) is likely to have affected the spread of other notifiable diseases. This is a descriptive report of communicable disease surveillance in Central Queensland (CQ) for six months (1 April to 30 September 2020) after the introduction of physical distancing and wider lockdown measures in Queensland. The counts of notifiable communicable diseases in CQ in the six months were observed and compared with the average for the same months during the years 2015 to 2019. During the study's six months, there were notable decreases in notifications of most vaccine-preventable diseases such as influenza, pertussis and rotavirus. Conversely, notifications increased for disease groups such as blood-borne viruses, sexually transmitted infections and vector-borne diseases. There were no reported notifications for dengue fever and malaria which are mostly overseas acquired. The notifications of some communicable diseases in CQ were variably affected and the changes correlated with the implementation of the COVID-19 public health measures. BACKGROUND: The current COVID-19 pandemic has led to some significant changes to local, regional and national public health practices including social distancing and wider lockdown. These measures have been previously reported to be associated with reductions in the incidence of gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases as well as of other airborne transmitted agents.1,2 A preliminary analysis was conducted assessing the impact of these measures on nationally notifiable diseases across Australia;3 however, the impact of these measures on communicable diseases within regional Australia is not well established. Like most regional areas, Central Queensland (CQ) has a lower population density and considerable distance from major cities; it will be informative to understand how these measures impact on notifiable conditions in this regional setting. We aimed to identify the patterns of change in reported notifiable conditions to the Central Queensland Public Health Unit (CQPHU), during a six-month period (1 April to 30 September 2020) following the implementation of COVID-19 measures. Here, we compare these notifications to the surveillance data for the same six-month period for the previous five years (2015 to 2019). METHODS: The study encompasses all notifiable conditions reported from CQ, which covers approximately 226,000 population and is spread over 117,588 square kilometres. Communicable diseases data were retrieved from the Queensland Notifiable Conditions System (NoCS), an online epidemiological database, from 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2020. The data were collected under the Public Health Act 2005, a legislative authority that provides permission to access health information. Permission to publish was given by the Communicable Diseases Branch of Queensland. Data were extracted on selected notifiable diseases in Queensland: blood-borne viruses (BBV), gastrointestinal diseases, sexually transmissible infections (STIs), vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), vector-borne diseases, zoonotic diseases and other diseases. For each disease, the count for six months following the implementation of COVID-19 public health measures (1 April to 30 September 2020) was compared with the average for the same six-month period during the years 2015 to 2019. RESULTS: From 1 April to 30 September 2020, after the implementation of Queensland's COVID-19 preventive measures, there was a decrease seen in several diseases notifications reported to the CQPHU, mostly VPDs, when compared with the same months for each of 2015 to 2019 and for the 5-year average (2015-2019) for those months (Table 1). However, increases in notifications for April-September 2020 were observed in a greater number of other notifiable disease groups.

Australian beef industry worker's knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding Q fever: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Q fever is a vaccine-preventable zoonotic infection with potentially severe health outcomes and high economic costs that affects agricultural workers, including beef and cattle industry workers, however this population historically have sub-optimal vaccine uptake. OBJECTIVE: To gather quantitative and qualitative pilot data from Australian beef industry workers on their knowledge, attitudes and practices around Q fever and Q fever vaccination. METHODS: A mixed methods approach was used to ascertain the Q fever disease risk perception and vaccination behavior of a purposive convenience sample of beef industry workers attending an industry expo in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia between May 7th and 9th, 2018. RESULTS: The quantitative survey response rate was 83% (n = 86). More than 70% of respondents reported exposure to known Q fever risk factors. Eighty six percent were aware of Q fever, the self-reported uptake of Q fever vaccine was 27% and 9% reported undertaking testing which showed evidence of previous infection. Five main themes emerged from the qualitative data: "Finding the time" among other life priorities to attend a doctor for a vaccine; "Employer responsibility" to provide the vaccine; "My doctor knows me" and could suggest Q fever vaccination; "Assigning Risk" across a range of attitudes, including thinking it would not happen to them, 'fatalism', and knowing the danger but taking the risk anyway; and "The Need for Outreach" vaccine delivery services in their communities. SIGNIFICANCE: These data suggest that a coordinated public health approach to testing and vaccine provision, coupled with an awareness campaign among regional doctors to prompt them to routinely ask patients about their Q fever risk and vaccination history, should form part of a broad approach to Q fever control and prevention.