Some conditions are termed ‘Notifiable diseases’. These conditions are included in legislation for each State and Territory and what is notifiable may be different for each. The collation of information allows the authorities to monitor the disease, and provides early warning of possible outbreaks.

Examples of such conditions are:

• AIDS
• cholera
• diphtheria
• giardiasis
• hepatitis
• malaria
• measles
• meningococcal disease
• mumps
• pertussis (whooping cough)
• poliomyelitis
• rabies
• Ross River virus
• rubella
• smallpox
• tuberculosis
• venereal diseases

and more.

The Australian Government publishes an up-to-date and extensive list of notifiable diseases at these links: Communicable Diseases Network Australia surveillance case definitions and Nationally notifiable diseases.

There is also a list of diseases for Australia’s States and Territories which do not have to be notified nationally.