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BackgroundFrom January 30-February 6, 2011, New South Wales was affected by an exceptional heat wave, which broke numerous records. Near real-time Emergency Department (ED) and ambulance surveillance allowed rapid detection of an increase in the number of heat-related ED visits and ambulance calls during this period. The purpose of this study was to quantify the excess heat-related and all-cause ED visits and ambulance calls, and excess all-cause mortality, associated with the heat wave.MethodsED and ambulance data were obtained from surveillance and administrative databases, while mortality data were obtained from the state death registry. The observed counts were compared with the average counts from the same period from 2006/07 through 2009/10, and a Poisson regression model was constructed to calculate the number of excess ED visits, ambulance and deaths after adjusting for calendar and lag effects.ResultsDuring the heat wave there were 104 and 236 ED visits for heat effects and dehydration respectively, and 116 ambulance calls for heat exposure. From the regression model, all-cause ED visits increased by 2% (95% CI 1.01-1.03), all-cause ambulance calls increased by 14% (95% CI 1.11-1.16), and all-cause mortality increased by 13% (95% CI 1.06-1.22). Those aged 75 years and older had the highest excess rates of all outcomes.ConclusionsThe 2011 heat wave resulted in an increase in the number of ED visits and ambulance calls, especially in older persons, as well as an increase in all-cause mortality. Rapid surveillance systems provide markers of heat wave impacts that have fatal outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 public health measures have altered respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemiology, resulting in an unseasonal summer epidemic in Australia in 2020. We aimed to determine if the shifted RSV epidemic was more severe compared with previous years or if age-specific changes were associated with the resurgence. METHODS: Through this multicenter study, we analyzed routinely collected datasets from the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network in southeast Australia. We examined overall trends in RSV-related disease in children aged <16 years in 2020 compared with 2014–2019. We compared observed and expected counts for RSV infections, RSV-related hospitalizations, and emergency department visits for acute respiratory illness. RESULTS: In 2020, there was a shift in the peak of RSV-related disease from autumn and winter to early summer. Compared with previous years, the overall frequency of RSV infections increased in children aged 2 to 4 years (83.91%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 34.21% to 192.07%; P < .01). There was also an increase in the peak case counts of RSV infections and RSV-coded hospitalizations for some age groups. There was an overall reduction of RSV-coded hospitalizations (−31.80%; 95% CI, −41.13% to −18.96%; P < .01) and ICU admissions (−44.63%; 95% CI, −60.76% to −5.96%; P < .05) in 2020 compared with previous years. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations provide evidence that the shifted 2020 RSV season was no more severe than previous years. Increased RSV infections in children aged 2 to 4 years may be explained by a buildup in age-specific population susceptibility and increased testing in older children.

Background: In a climate of concern over bioterrorism threats and emergent diseases, public health authorities are trialling more timely surveillance systems. The 2003 Rugby World Cup (RWC) provided an opportunity to test the viability of a near real-time syndromic surveillance system in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. We describe the development and early results of this largely automated system that used data routinely collected in Emergency Departments (EDs).