Chickenpox a notifiable disease?

I was printing off a copy of the updated HPA guidance on infection control and it shows chickenpox as being a notifiable disease? Has it always been or is that new? Does it mean doctors have to notify HPA every time they diagnose a child?
It says childminders have to notify them if there was an outbreak in their setting but doesn't say how many children that means. If all 3 children got it at the same time would that be an outbreak?

http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/si...ols_poster.pdf

Thats a new one to me. Will be very interested in replies , ive certainly never notified anyone!

I found that strange as well.

I searched the Public Health website and had a look at the Notifiable diseases: weekly reports (Week 21). There is no mention of chicken pox at all in the document. It does state what should be reported quite clearly. I spent ages looking at the latest report and found it interesting!

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...eek21_2017.pdf

I wonder if its a typo error on the actual poster? I checked my old copy from April 2010 and it definately does not have the asterisk.

Nina :confused:

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Originally Posted by ninagee

I found that strange as well.

I searched the Public Health website and had a look at the Notifiable diseases: weekly reports (Week 21). There is no mention of chicken pox at all in the document. It does state what should be reported quite clearly. I spent ages looking at the latest report and found it interesting!

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...eek21_2017.pdf

I wonder if its a typo error on the actual poster? I checked my old copy from April 2010 and it definately does not have the asterisk.

Nina :confused:

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I looked at my old poster as well and it wasn't on there. I wondered if it was a typo but it seems a pretty big one to make! I'd have thought there would be more notification if they'd added chickenpox to the list. Surely they can't expect everyone to spot it! I know it can be a serious illness but I can't see GPs phoning the Duty Room every time they see a child with chickenpox.

I had a look at your link. It is interesting isn't it?

Just what I wanted to do tonight after an 11 hour day with mindees...:rolleyes:

I have crunched some figures in excel and found the following from May 2014 to May 2017 in reportable cases:

Whooping cough 40% increase
Tuberculosis 21% decrease
Food poisoning 23% decrease

This sentence at the end of the report made me laugh: 'A substantial proportion of notified cases are shown subsequently not to be the implicated infection'

I feel better now that I have done some maths (favourite subject :thumbsup:) so off to get some sleep...:yawning:

Nina :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mouse

I was printing off a copy of the updated HPA guidance on infection control and it shows chickenpox as being a notifiable disease? Has it always been or is that new? Does it mean doctors have to notify HPA every time they diagnose a child?
It says childminders have to notify them if there was an outbreak in their setting but doesn't say how many children that means. If all 3 children got it at the same time would that be an outbreak?

http://www.publichealth.hscni.net/si...ols_poster.pdf

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Add in most doctors won't see children with chicken pox unless it's infected.
Our school has an outbreak at the minute but how would the hpa know if most mum's just head of to the chemist.
Seems just another paper work making exercise