Haemophilus influenzae disease

Surveillance

Invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease is a notifiable disease in all provinces and territories in Canada. Cases are reported to provincial and territorial departments of health. From 1979 to 1985, national data on all confirmed cases of Hib meningitis were nationally reportable. Beginning in 1986, all invasive forms of Hib disease also became nationally reportable. In 2010, the Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System began collecting national data on invasive Haemophilus influenzae (Hi) non-type b disease. Some provinces and territories do not report all types of Hi.

Invasive Hi cases that meet the national case definition are reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) through the following national surveillance systems.

• The Canadian Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (CNDSS) contains basic epidemiologic data, available at notifiable diseases online.
• The Immunization Monitoring Program, ACTive (IMPACT) is a paediatric hospital-based surveillance network that identifies and reports cases to PHAC. From 2000 to 2007, type b cases were collected through IMPACT. Since 2007, all types of invasive Hi disease are collected.

In addition, non-nominal epidemiologic and laboratory-linked data are collected through the International Circumpolar Surveillance (ICS) of invasive bacterial diseases. Since 2000, the system has collected real-time data from participating northern regions of Canada.

Case definitions for diseases under national surveillance include:

• Haemophilus influenzae non-b, invasive disease (2008)
• Haemophilus influenzae serotype b, invasive disease (2008)
• Case definitions for diseases under national surveillance, 2000

For more information on Hib epidemiology, transmission, prevention and control, see Health Professionals.