Trends in infectious disease mortality in Australia, 1979-1994.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in infectious disease mortality in Australia over the period 1979-1994. DESIGN: Descriptive study based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: All persons who died in Australia during 1979-1994. OUTCOME MEASURES: Infectious diseases as the underlying cause of death by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. RESULTS: Overall mortality from infectious diseases declined from 29.2/100,000 population in 1979-1981 to 24.1/100,000 in 1992-1994 (P = 0.02). Respiratory infection was the major category of infectious disease mortality, declining from 15.8/100,000 in 1979-1981 to 10.6/100,000 in 1992-1994. HIV infection (increasing from 0 to 2.9/100,000) replaced kidney/urinary tract infection (3.3 to 1.5/100,000) as the second most common category of infectious disease mortality. There were also significant increases in mortality from septicaemia (1.0 to 2.6/100,000), and viral hepatitis (0.2 to 0.5/100,000). The only group in which infectious disease mortality increased was men aged 25-44 years (3.4 to 15.1/100,000). The Northern Territory had the highest mortality rate from infectious disease, but showed a substantial decline (162 to 76/100,000) over the study period. There were also significant declines in Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality from infectious disease in Australia declined overall between 1979 and 1994. The substantial decline in the Northern Territory suggests a decline among indigenous Australians. HIV infection has become a leading cause of infectious disease mortality, particularly among adult males.