Search

Temporal analysis of respiratory virus epidemics in Victoria over winter 2024

During winter months of temperate regions, concurrent epidemics of multiple respiratory pathogens can occur, causing periods of increased clinical burden. Case time series, which are predominantly used to monitor infection levels, can exhibit substantial noise and day-of-the-week effects, limiting the visual interpretation of trends in raw data.

Infectious disease outcomes associated with inadequate housing and access to healthy living practices in Australia: a systematic review

Inadequate housing and living conditions underpin significant health and wellbeing inequality in Australia, particularly for Indigenous people. This review aimed to define infectious disease (ID) outcomes used to measure the health impact of inadequate housing in Australia within a research context.

The value of molecular point-of-care testing for Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis in a remote, non-clinical Australian setting

Group A Streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis is an important precursor infection to severe complications including rheumatic fever and invasive GAS. Rapid molecular point of care testing (POCT) for GAS infection has advantages over traditional microbiological culture, especially in settings with limited or absent laboratory infrastructure and where GAS complications predominate.

Can topical coconut oil reduce late-onset sepsis in extremely preterm infants? A pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial protocol

Infants born before 28 weeks' gestation account for approximately 75% of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Late-onset sepsis (LOS) affects around 25% of these infants and is associated with an increased risk of adverse long-term outcomes. The topical application of coconut oil has been used for centuries in newborn care. Coconut oil is rich in saturated fatty acids, several of which have demonstrated antimicrobial properties. It is considered safe for extremely preterm infants, improves skin condition and may reduce the incidence of LOS.

A time-varying geospatial model of habitat suitability for Japanese encephalitis virus vectors and vertebrate hosts in Australia

In the austral summer of 2021-2022, Australia experienced an unprecedented Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) outbreak, with detections over 3000 km south of previous occurrences. Given the limited knowledge of JEV transmission ecology in Australia, we developed geospatial models of transmission risk to support the public health response. We created time-varying habitat suitability models for suspected mosquito vectors and ardeid hosts using month-scaled occurrence and covariate data from 2000-2023.

The ORVAC trial: A clinical trial of a third scheduled dose of Rotarix rotavirus vaccine in Australian Indigenous infants to improve protection against gastroenteritis

We hypothesised that scheduling an additional (third) dose of oral human rotavirus vaccine for children aged 6 to <12 months would improve protection

Meningococcal B vaccine and meningococcal carriage in adolescents in Australia

Among Australian adolescents, the 4CMenB vaccine had no discernible effect on the carriage of disease-causing meningococci, including group B

Meta-taxonomic analysis of prokaryotic and eukaryotic gut flora in stool samples from visceral leishmaniasis cases and endemic controls in Bihar State India

We evaluate a meta-taxonomic approach to determine the composition of prokaryotic and eukaryotic gut microflora using sequencing of 16S RNA and 18S rRNA

Influenza epidemiology in patients admitted to sentinel Australian hospitals in 2017: the Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN)

This report summarises the epidemiology of hospitalisations with laboratory-confirmed influenza during the 2017 influenza season

A cluster-randomised controlled trial comparing school and community-based deworming for soil transmitted helminth control in school-age children

The first large-scale trial comparing mass and targeted deworming for soil-transmitted helminth control in South East Asia