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Research
“You’re telling us to go first?!” COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination experiences among Aboriginal adults in Western AustraliaGlobally, Indigenous populations have been disproportionately impacted by pandemics. In Australia, though national infection rates with COVID-19 infections in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were lower in the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was soon a greater burden in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island people once Omicron was circulating. Uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine was also lower among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Research
Nasopharyngeal density of respiratory viruses in childhood pneumonia in a highly vaccinated setting: findings from a case-control studyDetection of pneumonia-causing respiratory viruses in the nasopharynx of asymptomatic children has made their actual contribution to pneumonia unclear. We compared nasopharyngeal viral density between children with and without pneumonia to understand if viral density could be used to diagnose pneumonia.
Research
An infant mouse model of influenza-driven nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae colonization and acute otitis media suitable for preclinical testing of novel therapiesNontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major otitis media (OM) pathogen, with colonization a prerequisite for disease development. Most acute OM is in children <5 years old, with recurrent and chronic OM impacting hearing and learning. Therapies to prevent NTHi colonization and/or disease are needed, especially for young children. Respiratory viruses are implicated in driving the development of bacterial OM in children.

News & Events
Clinical trial to examine whether “mixing” COVID-19 vaccine boosters is more effectiveTop infectious disease experts in Australia will lead a clinical trial to determine whether combining different Covid-19 vaccines in the nation’s booster immunisation will increase effectiveness.

The Wesfarmers Centre has established the Deborah Lehmann Research Award to acknowledge the significant contribution that Clinical Associate Professor Deborah Lehmann AO has made to paediatric infectious disease research.