Assessing Vaccine Effectiveness Of Publicly Funded Vaccination Programs In Queensland
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$99,883.00
Summary
I will measure how well three vaccines on the national immunisation schedule prevent disease in Queensland. Pertussis (whooping cough), rotavirus, and varicella (chicken-pox) vaccines will be assessed using routinely collected health data, such as disease notifications and hospitalisations, and vaccination data. The findings of this research will contribute to evaluating the effectiveness of these publicly funded vaccination programs and will provide an evidence base for future decision-making.
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.
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.
Case-cohort Study Of The Association Between Pertussis Vaccination In Infancy And The Risk Of IgE-mediated Food Allergy.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$144,742.00
Summary
Allergic diseases are one of the most important causes of chronic morbidity among children in Australia. This is a retrospective case-controlled trial, utilising data from the Australian immunisation register and cases of confirmed food allergy, to examine the role of vaccination in protection against food allergy. If a relationship between the type of vaccination and protection against allergy is found, this would have implications for allergy prevention and immunisation policy.
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
Molecular Typing And Epidemiology Of Bordetella Pertussis In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,662.00
Summary
Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is an acute respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. Despite more than half a century of vaccination, pertussis has remained endemic in Australia, causing epidemic outbreaks every 3 to 4 years. Indeed the incidence has been increasing in recent years with over 11,000 cases notified in 2005.Pertussis is the commonest of all vaccine preventable diseases targeted by the Australian standard vaccination schedule. To control pertussis, appropriat ....Pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, is an acute respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. Despite more than half a century of vaccination, pertussis has remained endemic in Australia, causing epidemic outbreaks every 3 to 4 years. Indeed the incidence has been increasing in recent years with over 11,000 cases notified in 2005.Pertussis is the commonest of all vaccine preventable diseases targeted by the Australian standard vaccination schedule. To control pertussis, appropriate epidemiological surveillance must be implemented to monitor the circulating B. pertussis strains and emergence of any new strains, in particular those that escape the protection by vaccines. This project will use a novel genomic comparison approach to find variation known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) present around the genome. We will use these SNPs to analyse a large collection of Australian and worldwide isolates to identify those SNPs most suitable for typing and determine the optimal number of SNPs needed for discrimination. A standardized, consistent and reliable typing method for strain identification will be established. We will further develop an integrated method for detecting known variation in the genes encoding the five acellular vaccine antigens. A combined method for strain identification and detection of antigenic variation will then be developed for culture-independent typing, enabling identification of the strain infecting an individual directly from a clinical sample without the need for culture. This study will establish molecular methods for surveillance of pertussis in Australia, essential for further improvement of acellular pertussis vaccines and public health control measures.Read moreRead less