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Research
Western Australian health care workers’ views on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for the workplaceHealth care workers (HCWs) are at an increased risk of catching and spreading Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared with the general community, putting health systems at risk. Several jurisdictions globally have mandated or are looking to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for this cohort, but little is known about the acceptability of this measure, especially in different contexts, and there is little qualitative data to explore nuance, depth, and the reasons behind HCWs’ opinions.
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Reopening to the world: how safety, normality and trust in government shape young adults’ COVID-19 vaccine intentionsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, and particularly 2020-2021, young adults were often significant transmitters of the virus. Prior to the availability of vaccines for young adults, we sought to understand what would contribute to their uptake of a COVID-19 vaccine and how government policy might intervene. We undertook qualitative interviews between February and April 2021 with 19 participants (aged 18-29) in Perth, Western Australia.
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Off-season RSV epidemics in Australia after easing of COVID-19 restrictionsHuman respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute respiratory infection with the most severe disease in the young and elderly. Non-pharmaceutical interventions and travel restrictions for controlling COVID-19 have impacted the circulation of most respiratory viruses including RSV globally, particularly in Australia, where during 2020 the normal winter epidemics were notably absent.
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Unusual 2020 respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis season in Western Australia: Not explained by weatherTo describe and explore the relationship between weather and the unusual 2020 bronchiolitis season in Western Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Impact of a Multifaceted Tertiary Pediatric Hospital's Antimicrobial Stewardship ServiceAntimicrobials are the most commonly prescribed drug class in children. Overuse through inappropriate prescribing is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance and is recognized as one of the top 10 threats to global health by the World Health Organization.
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Preventing severe influenza in Australian infants: Maternal influenza vaccine effectiveness in the PAEDS-FluCAN networks using the test-negative designChristopher Blyth MBBS (Hons) DCH FRACP FRCPA PhD Centre Head, Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases; Co-Head, Infectious Diseases
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Consensus guidelines for antifungal stewardship, surveillance and infection prevention, 2021Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) are serious infections associated with high mortality, particularly in immunocompromised patients. The prescribing of antifungal agents to prevent and treat IFD is associated with substantial economic burden on the health system, high rates of adverse drug reactions, significant drug-drug interactions and the emergence of antifungal resistance.
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Optimising the use of linked administrative data for infectious diseases research in AustraliaIncreased collaboration and engagement across all sectors can optimise the use of linked data to help reduce the burden of infectious diseases
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Morbidity due to acute lower respiratory infection in children with birth defects: A total population-based linked data studyChildren with birth defects experience higher rates of hospitalisation for ALRIs before age 2 years than children with no birth defects.
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Prevalence of and risk factors for human rhinovirus infection in healthy aboriginal and non-aboriginal western australian childrenHuman rhinovirus (HRV) species C (HRV-C) have been associated with frequent and severe acute lower respiratory infections and asthma in hospitalized children.