Yersinia infection

Statutory notification

• Yersinia infection is a notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
• See notifiable communicable disease case definitions (Word 1.29MB).
• Notifications should be made using the communicable disease notification form for metropolitan residents (PDF 209KB) or regional residents (PDF 209KB).
• For notification of regional residents see contact details of public health units.
• See also description of statutory medical notifications in Western Australia.

Public health action management

• Infectious agent: Yersinia enterocolitica or Y. pseudotuberculosis.
• Transmission: food-borne, animal-borne and water-borne.
• Incubation period: 1 to 10 days (usually 2 to 5 days).
• Infectious period: Most infectious while symptomatic and low risk post recovery. Person to person transmission is uncommon. Use contact transmission- based precautions for hospitalised and institutionalised patients.
• Case exclusion: Until asymptomatic, including normal stools, for 24 hours. If patient works in health-care, aged-care, child-care or is a food handler or attends child-care exclude until asymptomatic, including normal stools, for 48 hours. See Guidelines for Exclusion of People with Enteric Diseases and their Contacts (PDF 764KB).
• Contact exclusion: Guidelines for Exclusion of People with Enteric Diseases and their Contacts (PDF 764KB).
• Treatment: Oral rehydration and as recommended by the doctor.
• Immunisation: None available.
• Case follow-up: Generally only clusters or outbreaks investigated, by the Communicable Disease Control Directorate with assistance from public health units.

Guidelines

• OD 0490/14 Public Health Follow-up of Sporadic Enteric Disease Notifications 
• Guidelines for Exclusion of People with Enteric Diseases and their Contacts (PDF 764KB) 
• Communicable Disease Guidelines for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Notifiable infectious disease dashboard
• General infectious disease reports