In general, rates of communicable disease are markedly higher in Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous people. Particularly high rates have been observed for tuberculosis, meningococcal infection, syphilis and gonococcal infection

Incidence rates for cancer are relatively low for Indigenous males compared to non-Indigenous males. However, incidence rates of cancer in Indigenous females are very similar to that for non-Indigenous females. The higher mortality rates among Indigenous people are a result of more advanced tumours at the time of diagnosis, and lower survival rates for primary cancers