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Health Protection

Communicable disease control

The Western Public Health Unit (WPHU) has accountability for the public health management of all notifiable conditions except tuberculosis, anaphylaxis and high lead levels.

This includes all vaccine-preventable diseases, blood-borne viruses, sexually transmissible infections, zoonoses, vector-borne diseases and enteric diseases, as well as antimicrobial resistant pathogens.  

In line with all other Victorian local public health units, WPHU is empowered to receive notifications of notifiable conditions from medical practitioners and laboratories, undertake case management, contact tracing and outbreak management. WPHU also leads local prevention action in relation to notifiable conditions managed by local public health units. 

Medical practitioners and pathology departments are required to notify conditions to the Victorian Department of Health in accordance with the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. Notifications are allocated immediately to the relevant local public health unit or the Department of Health as appropriate. Alternatively, notifiers can call WPHU directly on 1800 497 111 to notify, especially in cases of urgent notifications or where a direct conversation is desired. The WPHU team is available and keen to provide advice and assistance to local medical practitioners about any aspect of the public health management of communicable diseases within our scope.   

Other examples of how WPHU can support local partners: 

  • Working with aged care facilities in the WPHU catchment to assist and advise on effective outbreak management.  
  • Advising and working alongside schools in the WPHU catchment to manage cases and outbreaks of respiratory infections and providing advice on prevention. 

See below for conditions under WPHU management:

Last updated 1 March 2024.

Notifiable conditionUrgency
Acute rheumatic feverRoutine
AnthraxUrgent
Arbovirus infections other arbovirus infectionsRoutine
Barmah Forest virus infectionRoutine
BotulismUrgent
BrucellosisRoutine
Campylobacter infectionRoutine
Candida aurisUrgent
Carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter spp.Routine
Carbapenemase-producing EnterobacteralesRoutine
Carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas spp.Routine
Chikungunya virus infectionRoutine
Chlamydia trachomatis infectionRoutine
CholeraUrgent
COVID-19Routine
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)Routine
CryptosporidiosisRoutine
Dengue virus infectionRoutine
DiphtheriaUrgent
Donovanosis (Klebsiella granulomatis) infectionRoutine
Food-borne & water-borne illness (two or more related cases)Urgent
Gonococcal infectionRoutine
Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS)Urgent
Haemophilus influenza, type b infection (meningitis, epiglottitis, other invasive infections)Urgent
Hepatitis AUrgent
Hepatitis B (newly acquired or unspecified)Routine
Hepatitis C (newly acquired or unspecified)Routine
Hepatitis DRoutine
Hepatitis ERoutine
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infectionRoutine
InfluenzaRoutine
Invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease (iGAS)Urgent
Japanese encephalitisUrgent
Kunjin virus infectionRoutine
LegionellosisUrgent
LeprosyRoutine
LeptospirosisRoutine
ListeriosisUrgent
Lyssavirus – Australian Bat lyssavirusRoutine
Lyssavirus – other (specify)Routine
MalariaRoutine
MeaslesUrgent
Meningococcal infection (invasive)Urgent
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)Urgent
Mpox (Monkeypox)Urgent
MumpsRoutine
Murray Valley encephalitis virus infectionUrgent
Mycobacterium ulcerans (Buruli ulcer)Routine
ParatyphoidUrgent
PertussisRoutine
PlagueUrgent
Pneumococcal infection (invasive)Routine
Poliovirus infectionUrgent
Psittacosis (ornithosis)Routine
Q FeverRoutine
RabiesUrgent
Respiratory Syncitial Virus (RSV)Routine
Rheumatic heart diseaseRoutine
Ross River virus infectionRoutine
Rotavirus infectionRoutine
RubellaRoutine
Rubella congenitalRoutine
SalmonellosisRoutine
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)Urgent
Shiga- and vero-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC/VTEC)Routine
ShigellosisRoutine
SmallpoxUrgent
SyphilisRoutine
TetanusRoutine
TularaemiaUrgent
TyphoidUrgent
VanA-type vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)Routine
Varicella zoster infectionRoutine
Varicella zoster infection (chickenpox)Routine
Varicella zoster infection (shingles)Routine
Viral haemorrhagic feversUrgent
West Nile/Kunjin virus infectionRoutine
Yellow feverUrgent

How to notify WPHU

Contact us

Notifiers can call WPHU directly on 1800 497 111 to notify, especially in cases of urgent notifications or where a direct conversation is desired. The WPHU team is available and keen to provide advice and assistance to local medical practitioners about any aspect of the public health management of communicable diseases within our scope.

More information