Public health surveillance

Public health surveillance is the systematic collection of health data for analysis and interpretation. It is essential to inform health planning, policy and services, and to evaluate if our responses to health problems are effective.

At the Kirby Institute, we are experts in the collection and analysis of health data and we produce a series of surveillance reports on infectious diseases in Australia. These are produced in close partnership with the Australian Government Department of Health and the health departments in all states and territories.

For 20 years, we have produced the Annual Surveillance Reports on HIV, viral hepatitis and STIs. These provide national data on trends in diagnoses, incidence, morbidity, care, testing and prevention. We also produce a separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Report that delves into the specific risk factors in trends in Aboriginal populations.

We have also produced the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey National Data Report for more than 20 years. This survey collects information on HIV and hepatitis C, as well as sexual and injecting risk behaviours among people who inject drugs. The data from the report has provided essential information to support and improve the availability of needle and syringe programs in Australia as an essential part of the strategy to reduce the spread of infectious disease in these populations.

The Kirby Institute also produces the Australian Blood Donor Surveillance Report, the National Prison Entrants' Bloodborne Virus and Risk Behaviour Survey Report and the Australian Trachoma Surveillance Report. We coordinate the Genital Warts Surveillance Network and the Australian Collaboration for Coordinated Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Blood Borne Viruses (ACCESS). You can explore our surveillance reports in the menu on right.

Our Public Health Surveillance research strengths

 

 

Events