Maternal And Neonatal Vaccination - How Early Can We Protect Infants?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,331.00
Summary
Currently, only hepatitis B vaccine is routinely given at birth and for all other vaccines the earliest recommended administration is at 6 weeks old. This is too late to protect infants against pertussis and the most severe cases (hospitalisation or death) occur before 4 months. This research aims to assess if birth pertussis vaccination can protect infants earlier, measure the longevity of immunity following birth hepatitis B vaccination and examine the potential role for maternal vaccination
Preventing And Treating Significant Infections In The Community And In Hospitals
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,990.00
Summary
Infections that require hospitalisation are common and a significant event for patients. This research will look at severe influenza and define how protective the influenza vaccination is against hospitalisation. It will also look at preventing healthcare associated infections and in particular those involving antibiotic resistant "superbugs".
Prevalence Of Genital HPV Infection In Males Following Introduction Of Universal Male HPV Vaccination
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,891.00
Summary
As Australia is the first and only country to implement a free universal school based male human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program (in 2013), this project has the unique opportunity to be first to study to assess the effectiveness of the male HPV vaccination program in Australia by measuring a change in the prevalence of HPV among young (aged 17-20) heterosexual and homosexual men following the implementation of the vaccination program.
Population-level Vaccine Safety Monitoring: Risk Assessment And Policy Implications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$85,649.00
Summary
Vaccines prevent millions of deaths worldwide but events can occur after vaccination which may or may not be related to the vaccine. It is vital to ensure vaccines are safe and that both the public and medical providers remain confident in vaccination programs. The PhD thesis will look at the various methods for monitoring vaccine safety in Australia, and compare the usefulness of each system. This will provide information for policy makers on the safety of vaccines in Australia.
FluMum: A Prospective Cohort Study Of Mother-infant Pairs Assessing The Effectiveness Of Maternal Influenza Vaccination In Prevention Of Influenza In Early Infancy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,598,377.00
Summary
Influenza is a serious illness for young babies. Currently there are no vaccines that can be given to babies under 6 months of age to protect them from infection. This study aims to determine whether influenza vaccine given in pregnancy can prevent infection in babies up to 6 months of age.
BCG Immunisation To Prevent Allergy In Children: An Intervention Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,187,260.00
Summary
There has been a dramatic rise in allergic diseases (asthma, eczema, food allergy) worldwide and particularly in Australia, with up to 30% of children affected. There is evidence from small studies that BCG immunisation has beneficial effects that prevent an allergic type immune response later in life. In a large randomised trial we will determine whether BCG at birth prevents allergic disease by monitoring eczema and food sensitivity in infancy, both of which predict an allergic predisposition.
Immunogenicity And Safety Of Acellular Pertussis Vaccine At Birth
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,508,927.00
Summary
Currently, the first dose of a vaccine to protect against pertussis (whooping cough) is not given until 2 months of age, and third dose until 6 months. However, more than 80% of the most severe cases of pertussis (resulting in hospitalisation or death) occur before 6 months. This study aims to show that giving the first dose of pertussis vaccine at birth and the second dose at 6 weeks protects babies at the time they are most likely to die or become severely ill from whooping cough
Prevention Of Pertussis From Birth Through Maternal Immunisation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$197,657.00
Summary
Whooping cough or pertussis is a significant cause of death in infants worldwide. Newborns remain at risk until they have received 1 to 2 doses of pertussis vaccine (around 4 months of age). My project involves investigating whether giving pertussis vaccine in the third trimester of pregnancy provides passive protection (via transplacental transfer of antibody) to the infant in sufficient levels for protection against whooping cough in early infancy.
Does Pneumococcal Vaccination Protect Against Cardiovascular Disease? A Randomised Placebo-controlled Double Blind Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,849,245.00
Summary
Australian researchers have set up a novel multi-centre trial to investigate the effects of the pneumococcal vaccination in reducing heart attacks and stroke. People aged 55 to 61 from 6 sites around Australia will be invited to participate in the study. The selected participants will attend a clinic in their area and will be randomly given the pneumococcal vaccine or a placebo vaccine. Outcomes on the expected 6000 participants will be ascertained by health record linkage with government databa ....Australian researchers have set up a novel multi-centre trial to investigate the effects of the pneumococcal vaccination in reducing heart attacks and stroke. People aged 55 to 61 from 6 sites around Australia will be invited to participate in the study. The selected participants will attend a clinic in their area and will be randomly given the pneumococcal vaccine or a placebo vaccine. Outcomes on the expected 6000 participants will be ascertained by health record linkage with government databases after 4 years.Read moreRead less
Maternal Vaccination: Perceptions, Behaviours And A Communication Intervention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$38,631.00
Summary
This study aims to understand the barriers that pregnant women and new mothers may have to receiving vaccines that can protect them and their children against whooping cough and influenza. Based on this research I will develop an educational intervention that can help mothers make informed decisions about receiving these vaccinations at the right time.