APY Lands Tuberculosis Outbreak

In reply to the Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO ().7 March 2023).

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): I have been advised:

I was provided with a copy of a briefing addressed to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing from his department informing him of the tuberculosis (TB) cluster in the APY lands. This briefing was sent to my office on 27 December 2022. A briefing addressed to me as Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, from the Minister for Health and Wellbeing, was received on 7 February 2023 regarding the TB outbreak in the APY lands.

My department (through Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) will continue to receive updates from the Department for Health and Wellbeing on this situation and will provide advice as required.

The Minister for Health and Wellbeing has advised:

As of 24 April 2023 there are 13 confirmed active cases of tuberculosis (TB) reported with links to the APY lands. The potential of further spread of TB in the APY lands is dependent on ensuring cases are appropriately treated, and identifying further cases not yet diagnosed through contact tracing and screening to enable treatment. Planned screening deployments in the upcoming months to the APY lands aim to better understand the scope of the outbreak.

The exact origin of this outbreak may not be identified. TB has a long incubation period, and in some cases, from the time of infection it can take years for the disease to activate and become infectious. TB has not been eliminated in Australia, with approximately 1,300 cases of TB reported per year.

Prior to this outbreak there were no cases of TB reported in the APY lands since 2018 and no notifications of TB in Aboriginal persons in South Australia since 2021. SA Health is working with SA Pathology and interstate counterparts to use whole genome sequencing (WGS) to identify any genetic links between cases in this outbreak and previous outbreaks in South Australia and interstate.

SA Health staff are engaging with community members and the local health service to provide a culturally appropriate response to the outbreak. The response is being led by SA Health, in collaboration with other government departments.

An executive coordination committee, chaired by the Chief Public Health Officer, with representation from agencies outside SA Health, including Aboriginal Health Council of SA, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation (Attorney-General's Department), Department for Correctional Services, SA Housing Authority, Department for Child Protection and Department of Human Services.

Key public health measures are supporting vaccination of children aged under five years, undertaking contact tracing and broader screening to identify cases of active and latent TB, and ensuring appropriate treatment.