Active prospective national surveillance for congenital and neonatal varicella in Australia shows potential prevention opportunities
Jacina Walker,
Suzy Teutsch,
Anne Morris,
Guy D. Eslick,
Mahmudul Hassan Al Imam,
Arifuzzaman Khan,
Robert Booy,
Elizabeth J Elliott,
Gulam Khandaker
Affiliations
Jacina Walker
Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Suzy Teutsch
The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Kids Research, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Westmead), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Anne Morris
The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Kids Research, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Westmead), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Guy D. Eslick
The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Kids Research, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Westmead), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Mahmudul Hassan Al Imam
Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia; School Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Arifuzzaman Khan
Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia; School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Robert Booy
The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Elizabeth J Elliott
The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Kids Research, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Westmead), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Gulam Khandaker
Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia; The University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; School Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia; Corresponding author at: Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
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.
