Week 10

Question 1

Notifiable Diseases

Answer 1

The Health Act 1956 requires medical practices and other
agencies or institutions, to report the notifiable diseases to the
local Medical Officer of Health.

The Health Amendment Act 2006 added the statutory obligation
for laboratories to notify notifiable diseases to a medical officer
of health on suspicion and confirmation.

Question 2

Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak in NZ

Answer 2

Molecular typing showed that all Beachland isolates shared the same genetic pattern including
- respiratory tract of one case
- roof-collected rainwater systems of 5 households (3 associated with cases)
- water blaster at a nearby marina

3 Legionnaires’ Disease cases lived within 500 m of the water blaster and the fourth
case lived within 1250 m

Question 3

Cases of Notifiable Disease in NZ

Answer 3

Cases of Notifiable Disease in NZ must be notified to the local Medical Officer of
Health

Question 4

notifiable disease confirmation

Answer 4

There are specific processes for confirming and notifying each notifiable disease in
NZ

Question 5

where is Data on notifiable diseases compiled

Answer 5

Data on notifiable diseases are compiled by ESR in NZ

Question 6

Notification to WHO

Answer 6

New Zealand has an international obligation to notify the WHO of cases of infectious
diseases such as polio, SARS, new subtype of human influenza, within 72 hours of
the Ministry of Health being notified

Question 7

Outbreak Management Framework

Answer 7

Preparation > surveillance >

Outbreak investigation stage

Confirmation and assessment > Outbreak description >
Full investigation stage

Analytic epidemiology component > Environmental component > Laboratory component

Question 8

Clinician function

Answer 8

Requests lab tests and sends a notification message to a public health unit on suspicion of a notifiable disease

Question 9

Lab function

Answer 9

undertakes the tests requested, sends the results to the requesting clinician

Question 10

ESR (environmental science and research)

Answer 10

Receives a notification message from a lab, stores the notification information in the EpiSurv database

Question 11

Medical officer of health

Answer 11

Accesses a “notifications module” on EpiSurv via a web browser at the PHU. Case report forms are created where necessary.