States and Territories also report on follow up at 60 days. Reports of the surveillance scheme are published quarterly. Acceptance of a report does not imply a causal relationship between the administration of the vaccine and the medical outcome, or that the report has been verified as to its accuracy. The Virology and Serology Laboratory Reporting Scheme began operating in 1977. The scheme comprises 21 sentinel laboratories from all States and the Australian Capital Territory.
Contributors submit data on the laboratory identification of viruses and other organisms.
Reports are collated, analysed and published currently every four weeks. Each report includes two summary tables. The delay between date of specimen collection and date of publication ranges from two weeks to several months. A commentary on the laboratory reports includes the observation of recent trends with accompanying graphical presentation. Data derived from this scheme must be interpreted with caution.