Ten Leading Nationally Notifiable Infectious Diseases -- United
States, 1995
The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS)
is a national passive surveillance system comprising 52 infectious
diseases designated by the Council of State and Territorial
Epidemiologists as reportable to CDC (1). This report is based on
the Summary of Notifiable Diseases for 1995 (2) and presents the
most commonly reported nationally notifiable diseases for 1995.
During 1995, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) predominated and
were reported among all age groups.
The 10 most frequently reported nationally notifiable
infectious diseases for 1995 were, in descending order, chlamydia,
gonorrhea, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS),
salmonellosis, hepatitis A, shigellosis, tuberculosis (TB), primary
and secondary syphilis, Lyme disease, and hepatitis B (2). The STDs
of chlamydia, gonorrhea, AIDS, primary and secondary syphilis, and
hepatitis B accounted for 87% of cases reported for these 10
diseases.
Although 1995 was the first year genital infections with
Chlamydia trachomatis were nationally notifiable, this condition
was the most commonly reported disease for 1995. Most cases were
reported among women; infection with C. trachomatis is tested for
and reported less frequently for men than for women. Rates for AIDS
and TB were substantially higher among males than females.
Consistent with previous surveillance data, the rate of AIDS
reported among men was more than four times that for women, and for
TB, nearly twice that for women. Except for AIDS, TB, and genital
infection with C. trachomatis, sex-specific rates of notifiable
diseases were similar.
The most commonly reported infectious diseases varied by age
group. Salmonellosis and shigellosis continued to be the most
common notifiable diseases reported among children aged less than
5 years (61.8 and 46.3 per 100,000 population, respectively). Among
children aged 5-14 years, gonorrhea and shigellosis (rates of 21.8
and 20.1, respectively) were the most frequently reported diseases.
Gonorrhea remained the most common disease reported among persons
aged 15-24 years (645.0), and rates for both gonorrhea and AIDS
were high among persons aged 25-44 years (162.4 and 65.3,
respectively) and persons aged 45-64 years (22.3 and 27.8,
respectively). Among persons aged greater than 65 years, TB was the
most commonly reported notifiable disease (16.3). Age-specific data
about chlamydial infections were not available for 1995.
Reported by: Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. Div
of Public Health Surveillance and Informatics (proposed),
Epidemiology Program Office, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: The findings in the Summary of Notifiable Diseases
reflect only diseases that are diagnosed by health-care or
laboratory workers and reported to state and local health
departments, who then report to CDC. Resources available for
conducting surveillance vary widely by disease (3). In addition,
patterns of detection and reporting probably vary by disease, age
or population group, state, and locality. Consequently, for many of
these conditions, the true incidences in the United States probably
are underestimated. Despite such limitations, however, these and
other surveillance data are useful for monitoring trends and for
determining relative disease burdens.
As part of the MMWR series, CDC will release on October 25 the
Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States, 1995 (2). This
publication contains summary tables of the official statistics for
the reported occurrence of nationally notifiable diseases during
1995. Data for 1995 are presented by month; geographic location;
and patient age, sex, and race/ethnicity in maps and graphs for
many conditions. Also included are a brief history of notifiable
disease reporting, highlights of important developments in the
reported occurrences of selected nonnotifiable diseases (e.g.,
dengue fever, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome,
penicillin-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Ebola
hemorrhagic fever), and data from the Public Health Laboratory
Information System.
References
Koo D, Wetterhall SF. History and current status of the National
Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System. Journal of Public
Health
Management Practice 1996;2:4-10.
CDC. Summary of notifiable diseases, United States, 1995. MMWR
1996;44(53) (in press).
Osterholm MT, Birkhead GS, Meriwether RA. Impediments to public
health surveillance in the 1990s: the lack of resources and the
need for priorities. Journal of Public Health Management
Practice
1996;2:11-5.
Disclaimer
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