Measles
VIDRL has provided measles virus molecular epidemiological surveillance for Australia and has maintained a national database of measles genotypes since 1999. The surveillance aims to determine the measles genotype responsible for each measles outbreak or sporadic case. As WHO moves toward a declaration of measles elimination in the Western Pacific Region this data will be increasingly important. In addition it has added to understanding of global circulation of measles genotypes by identifying genotypes in countries from which measles has been imported into Australia, and it has identified three measles genotypes not previously described. Genotyping is done by nucleic acid sequencing and phylogenetic analysis after PCR amplification from a measles containing clinical specimen, or from DNA derived from such a specimen. Alternatively sequence data obtained in laboratories doing their own measles genotyping may be uploaded into VIDRL’s national database.