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Research

Increase in invasive group A streptococcal disease among Australian children coinciding with northern hemisphere surges

Increases in invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS) have recently been reported in multiple countries in the northern hemisphere, occurring during, and outside of, typical spring peaks. We report the epidemiology of iGAS among children in Australia from 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2022.

Research

Parental awareness and attitudes towards prevention of respiratory syncytial virus in infants and young children in Australia

To assess parental awareness of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the level of acceptance of future RSV prevention strategies. A cross-sectional online survey was implemented targeting "future" and "current" parents of children aged ≤5 years in Australia.

Research

Spatial and Temporal Data Visualisation for Mass Dissemination: Advances in the Era of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is the first major pandemic of the digital age and has been characterised by unprecedented public consumption of spatial and temporal disease data, which can enable greater transparency and accountability of governments to the public for their public health decisions.

Research

Attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of Western Australians towards vaccine safety surveillance systems following COVID-19 vaccines: A qualitative descriptive study

Concerns regarding adverse events following immunisation are a barrier to vaccine uptake. Health professionals use vaccine safety surveillance systems (VSSSs) to monitor vaccines and inform the public of safety data. With little known about public attitudes, perceptions, and experiences with VSSS, we examined them in the context of COVID-19 vaccinations in Western Australia.

Research

Preferred health outcome states following treatment for pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis

Treatment for pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis (CF) can produce a range of positive and negative outcomes. Understanding which of these outcomes are achievable and desirable to people affected by disease is critical to agreeing to goals of therapy and determining endpoints for trials.

Research

Causal Impact of Physical Activity on Child Health and Development

The relationship between physical activity and child health and development is well-documented, yet the extant literature provides limited causal insight into the amount of physical activity considered optimal for improving any given health or developmental outcome.

Research

Effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against hypoxic pneumonia and hospitalisation in Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea: An observational cohort study

Pneumonia is a leading cause of childhood mortality with Streptococcus pneumoniae a major contributor. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have been introduced into immunisation programs in many low- to middle-income countries yet there is a paucity of data evaluating the effectiveness in these settings. We assess the effectiveness of 13-valent PCV against hypoxic pneumonia, hospitalisation and other clinical endpoints in children <5 years living in Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea).

Research

Urinary tract infections in children: building a causal model-based decision support tool for diagnosis with domain knowledge and prospective data

Diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in children in the emergency department (ED) is challenging due to the variable clinical presentations and difficulties in obtaining a urine sample free from contamination.

Research

Medical Comorbidities in MECP2 Duplication Syndrome: Results from the International MECP2 Duplication Database

Since the discovery of MECP2 duplication syndrome (MDS) in 1999, efforts to characterise this disorder have been limited by a lack of large datasets, with small case series often favouring the reporting of certain conditions over others. This study is the largest to date, featuring 134 males and 20 females, ascertained from the international MECP2 Duplication Database (MDBase).

Research

Severity of Rotavirus-Vaccine-Associated Intussusception: Prospective Hospital-Based Surveillance, Australia, 2007-2018

Multiple studies have shown an association between intussusception (IS) and receipt of monovalent or pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV) in the previous 21 days. Disease severity is an important consideration for risk-benefit evaluations of RV, but no studies have compared the severity of IS within 21 days of vaccination (vaccine-associated, VA) and later (not temporally-associated, VNA).