Risk Of Hepatitis C Reinfection Among People With Current Injecting Drug Use Following Successful HCV Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,245,228.00
Summary
In Australia, hepatitis C (HCV)-related morbidity and mortality are rising. One of the most important recent breakthroughs in clinical medicine is the approval of safe, simple, interferon-free HCV therapies with cure rates >95%. Although people who inject drugs account for the majority of new and existing cases of HCV, reinfection following treatment can occur. The goal of this Project Grant is to examine HCV treatment and reinfection following successful therapy among people who inject drugs ....In Australia, hepatitis C (HCV)-related morbidity and mortality are rising. One of the most important recent breakthroughs in clinical medicine is the approval of safe, simple, interferon-free HCV therapies with cure rates >95%. Although people who inject drugs account for the majority of new and existing cases of HCV, reinfection following treatment can occur. The goal of this Project Grant is to examine HCV treatment and reinfection following successful therapy among people who inject drugs.Read moreRead less
Pandemic Influenza Containment Strategies In Aboriginal Communities: What Is Acceptable And Feasible?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,056,688.00
Summary
Influenza is a serious disease with a much greater impact in Indigenous communities. This project will work with Aboriginal communities in NSW, north Qld and WA on modifying the national pandemic influenza plan to develop control strategies that are acceptable to the culture and circumstances of those communities. A template and acceptable process will then be offered to other Indigenous communities, finally leading to negotiation to modify implementation of pandemic influenza plans.
A Survey Of The Sexual Behaviour And Sexual Health Of Australian Prisoners
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$591,000.00
Summary
The Australian Study of Health and Relationships telephone survey recently reported on the sexual attitudes, knowledge, health and behaviour of over 19,000 Australians. One of the groups that was omitted from that survey was prisoners. Yet prisoners are a high-risk group for sexual ill health. Prisoners are mostly drawn from the most disadvantaged groups in society: they are more likely to be unemployed, they have less education and lower incomes than other Australians, and many suffer from mino ....The Australian Study of Health and Relationships telephone survey recently reported on the sexual attitudes, knowledge, health and behaviour of over 19,000 Australians. One of the groups that was omitted from that survey was prisoners. Yet prisoners are a high-risk group for sexual ill health. Prisoners are mostly drawn from the most disadvantaged groups in society: they are more likely to be unemployed, they have less education and lower incomes than other Australians, and many suffer from minor intellectual disabilities and-or mental illness. This proposed survey of inmates in Australian prisons will fill in this missing data. Prisoners are the forgotten population in many countries. Only a few surveys of prisoners' health have been performed. There are some surveys of sexual behaviour in particular prisons overseas, though most of them concentrate on HIV risks and do not explore the sexual lives of prisoners in the same way as the major national sex surveys in the US, the UK and France did for people living outside prison. Prison is itself a dangerous place for people's sexual health. In prison, much of the sex that occurs is not voluntary. Sexual assault in prisons can lead to serious physical injury as well as risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV-AIDS. Although some of these injuries can be sufficiently serious to require surgery, only a small proportion are reported to the authorities. Younger prisoners (aged 18-25) and those who are small, slightly built or gay, are at higher risk of being assaulted. This study will explore the factors surrounding sexual assault in prison and make recommendations for preventing it.Read moreRead less
Stress During Pregnancy And The Developmental Origins Of Renal Disease In Aboriginal Australians
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$866,044.00
Summary
There is an epidemic of renal failure in Aboriginal people who also have high rates of premature birth of small babies. This project aims to understand the causes of kidney failure in Aboriginal people through testing if stress during pregnancy leads to the birth of preterm, small babies with small poorly formed kidneys that lead to kidney failure in later life. The effect of stressors impacting on pregnant women including infections, exposure to smoking and social stressors will be examined.