News

Health risks in the aftermath of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in Queensland and New South Wales remain serious. These include infections, difficulty getting medicines, contaminated food or water, and mosquito-borne illnesses. Take care of yourself and loved ones. Support is available.

Protect your health and the people around you during the Cyclone Alfred emergency. Plan ahead and take simple steps to prepare.

With recent increases in Japanese encephalitis virus infections, we urge Australians to be aware of their risk and take steps to protect themselves.

Whooping cough is circulating in the community, with high numbers of infections being diagnosed across Australia. Vaccination is the best protection.

We’re teaming up with the CSIRO to host a third webinar in the One Health Wonders series. Join us on 19 February 2025 to learn about arboviruses in a changing environment.

Thanks to highly effective vaccination and surveillance programs, measles was eliminated from Australia. But this extremely infectious virus can still enter the country via international travel and spread to people who are not protected. When travelling abroad don’t let measles return home with you.

We are monitoring reports of increases in respiratory illnesses, particularly hMPV, in the northern hemisphere, including China. At this stage, current international trends in respiratory virus activity do not present an increased risk to Australia.

The risk of mosquito-borne illness rises in summer – but simple steps to fend off mosquitoes can protect you from these harmful diseases.

Whooping cough cases have been on the rise across Australia. Read a statement from the Australian Government Chief Medical Officer, Professor Anthony Lawler, and Acting Head of the Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control, Genevieve Quilty.

Summer is here! It’s time to dust off the barbecue, get those swimmers on, and head to the nearest swimming spot! But don’t forget that our summers also have a dangerous side, so it’s important to keep yourself and others safe.

The HIV pandemic is not over, but we are getting closer to eliminating HIV transmission in Australia. On World AIDS Day we can reflect on how far we have come.

You can help guide how we continue to improve sexual health in Australia by providing feedback on our draft National STI Strategy. Consultation is now open until 20 December 2024.

Three of Australia’s leading authorities on human, animal and environmental health have warned urgent action is needed to curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Their statement marks the start of World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2024, which has the theme of ‘Educate. Advocate. Act now’.

Learn the truth about some of the common questions and misconceptions about mpox.

3 November is One Health Day. One Health recognises the connection between the health of people, animals, and the environments we share. Protecting one can help us protect them all.

The Australian Government is investing $251.7 million to deliver Australia’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

Updated national advice on avian influenza (bird flu) is available for Australia’s public health units (PHUs) as part of the Series of National Guidelines.

The Australian Government is investing $22.1 million to strengthen public health preparedness against bird flu (avian influenza) by increasing the number of pandemic flu vaccines in the National Medical Stockpile.

We hosted the first One Health Wonders webinar, an event that attracted almost 200 online participants.

A leading infectious disease epidemiologist at the World Health Organization (WHO) discussed her learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging health threats.

Professor Paul Kelly has spoken to the United Nations about the urgent need to address the threats posed by antimicrobial resistance.

Professor Paul Kelly, head of the interim Australian Centre for Disease Control, has officially welcomed the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) World Congress. This was the 25th world congress and included the Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference.

The rates of syphilis infection are rising around Australia, but safe sex and getting tested are easy ways to stay safe.

Last Friday was World Field Epidemiology Day. It is an annual day to acknowledge the vital role field epidemiologists play protecting communities from public health threats. These threats primarily relate to infectious diseases.

At the interim Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC), we are committed to protecting the health of Australians by developing effective and ethical data practices. As part of this commitment, we are launching a public consultation to gather feedback on how we should use health data.