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Study of Children Aged Under 2 Years Admitted With RSV at Four Australian Hospitals [2021–2022]Primary aim was to review severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) hospitalisations caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children aged < 2 years in paediatric hospitals in Australia. Secondary aims included RSV subtyping, assessing RSV seasonality and contributing to the World Health Organisation's RSV surveillance programme.
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Herpes simplex virus in infancy: Evaluation of national surveillance case captureAs herpes simplex virus in infancy is not a mandatory notifiable condition in Australia, completeness of ascertainment by the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) has been difficult to evaluate to date. We evaluated case capture in Queensland and Western Australia using statewide laboratory and clinical data and complementary surveillance data collected via the APSU.
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Estimating the impact of Western Australia's first respiratory syncytial virus immunisation program for all infants: A mathematical modelling studyThe Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the use of nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody for the prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), in November 2023. Western Australia (WA) implemented a combination of nirsevimab administration strategies designed to protect all infants starting in April 2024, before the epidemic season. We developed a dynamic transmission model to predict the impact of WA's RSV immunisation program on infant hospitalisations.
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New meningococcal strains bring increased risk in WAA new study has confirmed the changing pattern of meningococcal disease in Western Australia.
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Respiratory Viral Testing Rate Patterns in Young Children Attending Tertiary Care Across Western Australia: A Population-Based Birth Cohort StudyBelaynew Christopher Peter Hannah Minda Huong Taye Blyth Richmond Moore Sarna Le MD, MPH, PhD MBBS (Hons) DCH FRACP FRCPA PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP OAM
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A Phase 3, randomized, double-blind trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine given as a series of 2 infant doses and 1 toddler dose in healthy infants (NeXXstep)Jennifer Peter Kent Richmond RN MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP Clinical Research Manager Head, Vaccine Trials Group Jennifer.Kent@thekids.org.au Clinical
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Characterization of Gram-negative Bloodstream Infections in Hospitalized Australian Children and Their Clinical OutcomesGram-negative bloodstream infections (GNBSIs) more commonly occur in children with comorbidities and are increasingly associated with antimicrobial resistance. There are few large studies of GNBSIs in children that relate the clinical presentation, pathogen characteristics, and outcomes.
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HPV.edu study protocol: A cluster randomised controlled evaluation of education, decisional support and logistical strategies...The National Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Program in Australia commenced in 2007 for females and in 2013 for males, using the quadrivalent HPV...
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Cohort profile: A population-based record linkage platform to address critical epidemiological evidence gaps in respiratory syncytial virus and other respiratory infectionsThe Western Australia (WA) Respiratory Infections Linked Data Platform is a population-based cohort established to investigate the epidemiology of RSV and other respiratory infections in children aged 0-10 years, incorporating microbiological testing patterns, hospital admissions, emergency department presentations, and socio-demographic data.
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Effectiveness of trivalent flu vaccine in healthy young childrenThis paper reports some of the findings from the Western Australian Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Study, commenced in 2008, to evaluate a program providing...
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Emerging elements of paediatric post-sepsis care programs: A scoping reviewSepsis is a significant cause of mortality for children in Australia, particularly affecting young children, those with pre-existing health conditions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. The transition from hospital to home can be challenging for survivors, often leaving long-term impacts unaddressed.
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Impact of an evidence-based sepsis pathway on paediatric hospital clinical practice: A quality improvement studyTo assess the impact of implementing a sepsis pathway and education program on key sepsis outcomes and performance targets in a tertiary paediatric hospital.
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Diversity of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae strains colonizing Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal childrenNontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) strains are responsible for respiratory-related infections which cause a significant burden of disease in...
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Attitudes, perceptions, and experiences of Western Australians towards vaccine safety surveillance systems following COVID-19 vaccines: A qualitative descriptive studyConcerns 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.
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Efficacy of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine against low-risk HPV types (PATRICIA Randomized Trial): An unexpected observationThese findings may help to explain the decrease in external GW diagnoses seen in England.
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Non-specific benefit of seasonal influenza vaccine on respiratory syncytial virus-hospitalisations in children: An instrumental variable approach using population-based dataSeasonal influenza vaccine is effective against influenza hospitalisations, but little is known about non-specific effects of the vaccine on other respiratory pathogens with similar seasonal patterns. We aimed to assess the causal impact of seasonal influenza vaccine on laboratory-confirmed hospitalisations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children using an instrumental variable strategy.
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A phase 2 open-label safety and immunogenicity study of a meningococcal B bivalent rLP2086 vaccine in healthy adultsNo currently licensed and available vaccine has been shown to provide broad protection against endemic MnB disease.
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OPTIMUM: OPTimising IMmunisation Using Mixed schedulesPat Peter Susan Tom Jennifer Holt Richmond Prescott Snelling Kent PhD, DSc, FRCPath, FRCPI, FAA MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP MBBS BMedSci PhD FRACP BMBS DTMH
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Understanding motivation and experience in participating in a paediatric SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey, in AustraliaSerosurveys are considered as a valuable tool in estimating population immunity and infection rates but recruitment of children to provide paediatric estimates can be challenging. A novel approach of sampling children undergoing anaesthesia was utilised for a SARS-CoV-2 serosurvey in Australian children and we explore the reasons for participation, feedback on the approach and importance of research into Coronavirus Diseases 2019 (COVID-19).