Links2HealthierBubs: Influenza And Pertussis Vaccine Effectiveness And Safety In Pregnancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$676,333.00
Summary
Vaccination during pregnancy can offer protection against severe respiratory disease for infants in the first six months of life. For this reason, influenza and pertussis vaccines are routinely recommended during each pregnancy. Unfortunately, little is known about the ‘real world’ effect of both vaccines. We plan to conduct the largest and most comprehensive study to date to evaluate all vaccines routinely recommended in pregnancy in Australia.
Evolution Of Pertussis Epidemics And Effect Of Genotypes On Infection Outcomes And Immunisation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$657,781.00
Summary
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is caused by Bordetella pertussis. Despite high vaccine coverage, the incidence of pertussis has increased substantially in recent years in Australia. One of the contributing factors is changes in the pertussis strains. This project will determine the genetic composition and virulence characteristics of epidemic strains in Australia and investigate the effect of these strains on disease severity and vulnerability of vaccinated individuals to infection.
Characterisation Of Rotavirus Vaccine Escape - Potential For Significant Impact On Vaccination Program
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,689.00
Summary
The introduction of rotavirus vaccines have had enormous impact on improving the health of children worldwide. However, the emergence of vaccine escape strains has the potential to significantly reduce the vaccine effectiveness. This study proposes to characterise strains able to escape vaccine protection.
Economic Evaluation Of Alternative Pneumococcal Vaccination Strategies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$242,894.00
Summary
Pneumococcal vaccination is a readily available preventive strategy that can offer substantial protection to the elderly but it is important that we carefully evaluate the different potential strategies to ensure the most (cost-) effective approach to prevention is identified. This grant will explore alternative strategies to control pneumococcal-related disease in elderly Australians using the available vaccines.
Providing The Evidence To Guide Adult Immunisation Strategies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$492,414.00
Summary
Australia's population is ageing and strategies to improve health in older adults are necessary to prevent an increasing burden on our health system. Adult vaccination is a relatively under-researched area with great potential to prevent disease in the population. This project focuses on four common vaccine preventable disease in adults, herpes zoster (shingles), influenza, invasive pneumococcal disease and pertussis. It will identify what their impact is on the health system and what groups of ....Australia's population is ageing and strategies to improve health in older adults are necessary to prevent an increasing burden on our health system. Adult vaccination is a relatively under-researched area with great potential to prevent disease in the population. This project focuses on four common vaccine preventable disease in adults, herpes zoster (shingles), influenza, invasive pneumococcal disease and pertussis. It will identify what their impact is on the health system and what groups of adults would benefit most from vaccination.Read moreRead less
Vaccination Timeliness In Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Infants: Risk Factors For Delayed Vaccination And Impact On Disease Burden—a Record Linkage Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$538,183.00
Summary
Vaccination has had a significant impact, but preventable infections continue to occur, perhaps due to delayed uptake of scheduled doses. For the first time, we will link vaccination and other health records to: provide accurate estimates of the impact of vaccination; identify reasons for delayed vaccination; and quantify the expected reduction in disease burden if vaccination timeliness was improved. The study will help determine who would benefit most from efforts to improve timeliness.
Monitoring The Gap Between Evidence And Vaccination Behaviour By Sampling The Location-specific Consumption Of Health Information From News And Social Media
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$476,648.00
Summary
Vaccination programs have saved millions of lives in the last decade but vaccine refusal threatens their success. We propose new methods for tracking social media to measure how people in different locations are exposed to different information about vaccines from the media and other sources. This will help us understand why some communities appear to be more susceptible to vaccine hesitancy, and help public health organisations more effectively address the problem of vaccine acceptance.
Prospective Study Of Birth Defects From Fetotoxic Agents In The Public Water Supply
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$732,036.00
Summary
Recent research in Australia & internationally shows that birth defects are more common in areas where mothers are exposed to poor quality drinking water, particularly when treatment chemicals known as trihalomethanes (THMs) are present. We will determine the risk that high THM levels pose to unborn babies by accurately measuring individual exposures to THMs & correlating these with adverse birth outcomes. The study will be in Perth where THM levels are very high in a number of suburbs.
Combining Health, Laboratory And Immunisation Data Sources To Identify Opportunities For The Prevention Of Chest Infections In Young Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,469.00
Summary
Chest infections are one of the major reasons children are admitted to hospital, particularly in Aboriginal children. This project will determine whether current vaccines have reduced hospital visits and how many children are affected by multiple infections. It will also identify where better vaccination programs are needed. This will be done by bringing together and analysing a range of infection and hospital records to paint a true picture of the impact of chest infections in children.
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Exercise Programs For Preventing Knee Injuries
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,160,491.00
Summary
The promotion of physical activity, either through organised sport or active recreation, is a key public health strategy in this country. However, there is a risk of injury during this participation and efforts need to be undertaken to reduce this risk so that spor is safe for all. Sports injury prevention efforts to date in Australia have been severely hampered by a lack of evidence supporting currently advocated countermeasures. This concern has been recognised by both the NHMRC and the Common ....The promotion of physical activity, either through organised sport or active recreation, is a key public health strategy in this country. However, there is a risk of injury during this participation and efforts need to be undertaken to reduce this risk so that spor is safe for all. Sports injury prevention efforts to date in Australia have been severely hampered by a lack of evidence supporting currently advocated countermeasures. This concern has been recognised by both the NHMRC and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. It is imperative that we formally evaluate the effectiveness of sports injury countermeasures in the context of broad community level participation in sport, in contrast to previous research focussed on professional sport, and begin to deliver the preventive measures to the community. Australian football is a popular sport throughout Australia and it is associated with more medically-treated injuries than any other sport. Knee injuries are particularly common and can have severe consequences. One of the most commonly recommended knee injury prevention strategies is a well-designed exercise training program. Despite their potential to significantly reduce injury rates, the effectiveness of exercise training programs to prevent knee injuries in football, and indeed in most other sports, has not previously been assessed but has been identified as a priority research area by the NHMRC. This project will determine the effectiveness of exercise training programs for preventing knee injuries in community-level football players by monitoring injury rates, player behaviours and player attitudes before and after the training programs are implemented.Read moreRead less