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Comorbidities and confusion: addressing COVID-19 vaccine access and information challengesEarly in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, evidence emerged that individuals with chronic and immunocompromising conditions faced increased risk of severe infection, including death. The Australian Government and public health authorities prioritised these citizens' access to vaccines, including them in phase 1b of the rollout from 22 March 2021.
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Implications of Non-Specific Effects for Testing, Approving, and Regulating VaccinesThe current framework for testing and regulating vaccines was established before the realization that vaccines, in addition to their effect against the vaccine-specific disease, may also have "non-specific effects" affecting the risk of unrelated diseases. Accumulating evidence from epidemiological studies shows that vaccines in some situations can affect all-cause mortality and morbidity in ways that are not explained by the prevention of the vaccine-targeted disease.
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COVID-19 vaccine coverage targets to inform reopening plans in a low incidence settingSince the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 through to mid-2021, much of the Australian population lived in a COVID-19-free environment. This followed the broadly successful implementation of a strong suppression strategy, including international border closures. With the availability of COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021, the national government sought to transition from a state of minimal incidence and strong suppression activities to one of high vaccine coverage and reduced restrictions but with still-manageable transmission.
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Individual variation in vaccine immune response can produce bimodal distributions of protectionThe ability for vaccines to protect against infectious diseases varies among individuals, but computational models employed to inform policy typically do not account for this variation. Here we examine this issue: we implement a model of vaccine efficacy developed in the context of SARS-CoV-2 in order to evaluate the general implications of modelling correlates of protection on the individual level.
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Development of a sustained release implant of benzathine penicillin G for secondary prophylaxis of rheumatic heart diseaseRegular intramuscular (i.m.) benzathine penicillin G (BPG) injections have been the cornerstone of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) secondary prophylaxis since the 1950s. Patient adherence to IM BPG is poor, largely due to pain, the need for regular injections every 3-4 weeks and health sector delivery challenges in resource-limited settings. There is an urgent need for new approaches for secondary prophylaxis, such as an implant which could provide sustained penicillin concentrations for more than 6 months.
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Production of IgG antibodies to pneumococcal polysaccharides is associated with expansion of ICOS+ circulating memory T follicular-helper cells which is impaired by HIV infectionDysfunction of T follicular-helper cells is a possible cause of impaired germinal centre and IgG antibody responses in individuals with HIV
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Baseline incidence of adverse birth outcomes and infant influenza and pertussis hospitalisations prior to the introduction of influenza and pertussis vaccinationThese baseline data are essential to assess the safety and effectiveness of influenza and pertussis vaccinations in pregnant women from the NT
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The politics of picking: Selective vaccinators and population-level policyPublic health systems face tensions between individuals and the collective. Parents who selectively vaccinate demonstrate this tension
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The safety of maternal immunizationExisting evidence supporting the safety of vaccination during pregnancy should be used to reassure pregnant women and improve vaccine uptake in pregnancy
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Immunogenicity and safety of single-dose, 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in pediatric and adolescent oncology patientsAll children who are receiving therapy for cancer should receive a single dose of PCV13 as soon as possible after diagnosis, regardless of prior PCV exposure.