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National research led by the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, based at The Kids Research Institute Australia, has secured more than $3.4 million to assess the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) throughout the country and optimise Australia’s immunisation strategy.

Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases researchers Dr Janessa Pickering and Dr August Mikucki travelled to Broome last week for the official launch of the long-awaited Missing Piece story books.

Perth investigators involved in a major global trial have launched an innovative Cultural Information Hub to maximise cultural safety for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander patients participating in research.

10,000 families participating in research by The Kids Research Institute Australia have demonstrated the effectiveness of a simple text message for increasing the number of children receiving their vaccinations on time.

Many parents may be feeling anxious and confused about what COVID-19 means for pregnant women, babies and children.

Four The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers have received prestigious fellowships and four significant cohort studies led or co-led by The Kids have received key grants under two new funding programs supported by the State Government’s Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund.

The burden of seasonal influenza disease in Australian children is substantial, especially for those with medical comorbidities including chronic cardiac, respiratory, neurological and immunosuppressive conditions. Influenza is more likely to be severe in children with comorbidities compared to previously healthy children (e.g. more frequent and longer hospitalisation, more frequent intensive care unit admission and requiring respiratory support). Direct protection against influenza by vaccination is critical for children with comorbidities and remains the most effective tool for influenza prevention.

Scabies, impetigo, and other skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are highly prevalent in many tropical, low-middle income settings, but information regarding their burden of disease is scarce. We conducted surveillance of presentations of scabies and SSTIs, including impetigo, abscesses, cellulitis, and se≈vere SSTI, to primary health facilities in Fiji.

Severe, invasive Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) infections result in greater than 500,000 deaths annually. First line treatment for such infections is benzylpenicillin, often with the addition of clindamycin, but treatment failure can occur with this regimen. This failure has been partially attributed to the inoculum effect, which presents as reduced antibiotic susceptibility during high bacterial density and plateau-phase growth.

There is no consensus on how best to measure responses to interventions among children and adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). We have systematically reviewed and summarised the characteristics and measurement properties of tests and tools that have been used to capture outcomes in studies among people with CF, including their reliability, validity and responsiveness. This review is intended to guide researchers when selecting tests or tools for measuring treatment effects in CF trials. A consensus set of these tests and tools could improve consistency in how outcomes are captured and thereby facilitate comparisons and synthesis of evidence across studies.