Health alerts – infectious diseases

Current infectious disease health alerts for medical practitioners in Western Australia.

Subscribe to infectious disease alerts (external site).

WA Health media releases provide further public health information and warnings.

For COVID-19 clinician alerts please visit COVID-19 information for health professionals.

2024

April

• Rabies risk expanded to island of Timor – 11 April 24 (PDF 85KB)

March

• Pertussis: Reminder to test and vaccinate – 5 March 2024 (PDF 105KB)

2023

December

• Shortage and prioritisation of Bicillin LA – 18 December 23 (PDF 59KB)
• Ralstonia pickettii outbreak – 01 December 2023 (PDF 56KB)
• Shortage of Bicillin LA – 01 December 2023 (PDF 236KB)

October

• Syphilis outbreak across WA – 23 October 23 (PDF 104KB)
• Reminder to consider measles – 12 October 2023 (PDF 107KB)

September

• Measles in returned traveller 14 September 2023 (PDF 88KB)

July

• ENT syphilis alert (PDF 123KB)
• Midwives syphilis alert (PDF 78KB)

June

• MERS-CoV and the Hajj pilgrimage 29 June 2023 (PDF 71KB)

April

• Increase in travel-associated communicable disease – 12 April 2023 (PDF 35KB)
• Dermatologists, neurologists and ophthalmologist syphilis alert (PDF 104KB)

March

• Update on Japanese encephalitis virus and Murray Valley encephalitis in WA – 27 March 2023 (PDF 105KB)
• Japanese encephalitis virus in WA – 16 March 2023 (PDF 141KB)

January

• Increase in invasive Group A Streptococcus infection notifications – 17 January 2023 (PDF 103KB)
• Syphilis outbreak across Western Australia – 4 January 2023 (PDF 131KB)

2022

November

• Toxicity after ingesting large quantities of poppy seeds – 11 November 2022 (PDF52KB)

September

• Monkeypox virus – Clinician Alert #5 – 30 September 2022 (PDF 1.1MB)
• Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis – Clinician Alert – 16 September 2022 (PDF 122KB)

August

• Monkeypox virus – Clinician Alert #4 – 24 August 2022 (PDF 61KB) 
• Shigellosis treatment guidelines – Clinician Alert – 5 August 2022 (PDF 80KB)
• Increase in HIV notifications among Aboriginal people – 10 August 2022 (PDF163KB)

July

• MERS-CoV – Clinician Alert 8 July 2022 (PDF 74KB)
• Monkeypox virus – Clinician Alert #3 – 8 July 2022 (PDF 62KB) 

May

• Monkeypox virus – urgently notifiable disease in WA Clinician Alert #2 – 31 May 2022 (PDF 52KB)
• Monkeypox virus – Clinician Alert #1 – 20 May 2022 (PDF 67KB)
• Paediatric Hepatitis – unknown aetiology in children Infectious disease specialist/gastroenterologists alert – 04 May 2022 (PDF 58KB)

March

• Japanese Encephalitis Virus –  Clinician Alert – 02 March 2022 (PDF 79KB)