Search
Research
Potential use of Western Australia’s mandatory Midwives Notification System for routinely monitoring antenatal vaccine coverageWe observed low sensitivity and specificity of antenatal vaccination data in the Midwives Notification System
Research
Comparison of group A streptococcal titres in healthy children and those with pharyngitis and skin infectionsRates of acute rheumatic fever, a sequelae of group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection, remain unacceptably high in Indigenous Māori and Pacific children in New Zealand. This prospective study aimed to describe GAS antibody titres in healthy children (5–14 years) by ethnicity, and to determine how paired titres vary with GAS culture positive and negative pharyngitis, and GAS skin infections.
Research
Respiratory follow-up to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children: twelve key stepsAmong Aboriginal children, the burden of acute respiratory tract infections (ALRIs) with consequent bronchiectasis post-hospitalisation is high. Clinical practice guidelines recommend medical follow-up one-month following discharge, which provides an opportunity to screen and manage persistent symptoms and may prevent bronchiectasis.
Research
The Centres for Disease Control light trap and the human decoy trap compared to the human landing catch for measuring Anopheles biting in rural TanzaniaVector mosquito biting intensity is an important measure to understand malaria transmission. Human landing catch (HLC) is an effective but labour-intensive, expensive, and potentially hazardous entomological surveillance tool. The Centres for Disease Control light trap (CDC-LT) and the human decoy trap (HDT) are exposure-free alternatives.
Research
Breastfeeding in a COVID-19 worldThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the birthing and postnatal experience of women. This review highlights how policy changes have affected pregnant and breastfeeding women, the evidence for continued breastfeeding and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines, and how the pandemic's unexpected consequences have affected these women's wellbeing.
Research
Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of chikungunya, dengue, and Zika in eight districts in TanzaniaThis study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of chikungunya (CHIKV), dengue (DENV), and Zika (ZIKV) viruses in Tanzania.
Research
Blinatumomab as bridging therapy in paediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia complicated by invasive fungal diseaseInvasive fungal disease (IFD) remains a challenging complication of treatment for paediatric acute leukaemia. Consensus fungal treatment guidelines recommend withholding chemotherapy to facilitate immune recovery in this setting, yet prolonged delays in leukaemia therapy increase risk of relapse.
Research
Consensus guidelines for antifungal stewardship, surveillance and infection prevention, 2021Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) are serious infections associated with high mortality, particularly in immunocompromised patients. The prescribing of antifungal agents to prevent and treat IFD is associated with substantial economic burden on the health system, high rates of adverse drug reactions, significant drug-drug interactions and the emergence of antifungal resistance.
Research
Does a major change to a COVID-19 vaccine program alter vaccine intention? A qualitative investigationOn 8th April 2021, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) made the Pfizer-BioNtech (Comirnaty) vaccine the “preferred” vaccine for adults in Australia aged < 50 years due to a risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) following AstraZeneca vaccination. We sought to understand whether this impacted COVID-19 vaccine intentions.
Research
Emulator-based Bayesian optimization for efficient multi-objective calibration of an individual-based model of malariaIndividual-based models have become important tools in the global battle against infectious diseases, yet model complexity can make calibration to biological and epidemiological data challenging. We propose using a Bayesian optimization framework employing Gaussian process or machine learning emulator functions to calibrate a complex malaria transmission simulator.