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Research

Bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis is a respiratory infection, usually occurring in babies under six months of age. It causes them to wheeze and can lead to pneumonia. Researchers are focusing on vaccines against the virus which commonly causes it.

Research

PIFA - Pertussis and Food allergy, a case-cohort study of the association between pertussis vaccination in infancy and the risk of IgE-mediated food allergy

Pat Peter Tom Holt Richmond Snelling PhD, DSc, FRCPath, FRCPI, FAA MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP BMBS DTMH GDipClinEpid PhD FRACP Emeritus Honorary Researcher

Research

The NICE-GUT trial protocol: A randomised, placebo controlled trial of oral nitazoxanide for the empiric treatment of acute gastroenteritis among Australian Aboriginal children

Diarrhoeal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years globally, killing 525 000 annually. Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter Aboriginal) children suffer a high burden of disease.

Research

Influenza

Influenza (commonly known as the flu) is caused by a highly contagious virus spread mainly through coughing and sneezing. An annual flu vaccination is the most effective way to prevent flu outbreaks.

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Re-examining Hepatitis B Postexposure Prophylaxis Following Pediatric Community-acquired Needle-stick Injury in an Era of a National Immunization Registry

Long-term hepatitis B immunity has been demonstrated following the completion of the primary vaccination series in childhood. Some guidelines recommend a hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) directed approach following community-acquired needle-stick injury (CANSI) to inform hepatitis B postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) management.

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Whither pertussis?

This article discusses the rising prevalence of pertussis disease in countries which have switched to acellular vaccines.

Research

Changing rules, recommendations, and risks: COVID-19 vaccination decisions and emotions during pregnancy

As COVID-19 vaccinations rolled out globally from late 2020, rules and recommendations regarding vaccine use in pregnancy shifted rapidly. Pre-registration COVID-19 vaccine trials excluded those who were pregnant. Initial Australian medical advice did not routinely recommend COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy, due to limited safety data and little perceived risk of local transmission.

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Randomised controlled trials of behavioural nudges delivered through text messages to increase influenza and COVID-19 vaccines among pregnant women (the EPIC study): study protocol

Influenza and COVID-19 infections during pregnancy may have serious adverse consequences for women as well as their infants. However, uptake of influenza and COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy remains suboptimal. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component nudge intervention to improve influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women.

Research

Pertussis Disease and Antenatal Vaccine Effectiveness in Australian Children

Population-level studies of severe pertussis extending beyond infancy are sparse, and none in the context of antenatal vaccination. We compared hospitalized pertussis cases from birth to 15 years of age before and after introduction of antenatal immunization.

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Otitis media at 6-monthly assessments of Australian First Nations children between ages 12–36 months: Findings from two randomised controlled trials of combined pneumococcal conjugate vaccines

In remote communities of northern Australia, First Nations children with hearing loss are disproportionately at risk of poor school readiness and performance compared to their peers with no hearing loss. The aim of this trial is to prevent early childhood persisting otitis media (OM), associated hearing loss and developmental delay.