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Socio-economic inequality underpins inequity in influenza vaccination uptake between public and private secondary schools: an Australian population-based study

Socio-economic inequality and vaccination inequity have long been critical issues. However, no studies have explored the gap in influenza vaccination uptake between public and private schools. Importantly, the extent to which socio-economic inequality translates into vaccination uptake inequity has not been quantified.

Predicting regional and temporal incidence of RSV and influenza hospitalizations in a birth cohort of young Australian children

Western Australia experiences multiple climatic zones, influencing the epidemiology of respiratory viruses. We aimed to estimate the true incidence of respiratory syncytial virus and influenza hospitalizations across these different climatic regions using predictive modelling.

The Unintended Impact of COVID-19 Associated Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on Paediatric Hospital Admissions: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

COVID-19 related non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) disrupted global healthcare utilisation, with notable declines in infection related paediatric hospitalisations. We aimed to identify non-infectious paediatric conditions for which the incidence of hospital admissions increased during the introduction and alleviation of NPIs in 2020.

Impact of vaccine mandates and removals on COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Australia and international comparators: a study protocol

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 was a crucial public health measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the multiple strategies developed to increase vaccine uptake, governments often employed vaccine mandates. However, little evidence exists globally about the impact of these mandates and their subsequent removal on vaccine uptake, including in Australia, France, Italy and the USA.

Randomised controlled trials of behavioural nudges delivered through text messages to increase influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women (EPIC study) in Australia

Influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women is sub-optimal. We assessed the effectiveness of a multi-component behavioural nudge intervention to improve COVID-19 and influenza vaccine uptake among pregnant women. 

Country-level and global burden of diseases caused by group A Streptococcus: protocol for a multicountry epidemiological study

Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) causes a wide spectrum of diseases, ranging from pharyngitis and impetigo to severe invasive infections and immune-mediated conditions such as acute rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease and acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Contemporary data on the global burden of Strep A diseases are lacking.

Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance surveillance outcome programs - bloodstream infections and antimicrobial resistance patterns in Australian children and adolescents 2022 - 2023

Between January 2022 and December 2023, there were 1,827 bloodstream infection (BSI) isolates in 1,745 children and adolescents reported to the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) surveillance outcome programs, with 40% of episodes in children aged < 12 months. 

The Association Between Obesity and COVID-19 Severity in Children Differed Between SARS-CoV-2 Variants: A Multicountry Hospital-based Observational Study

Obesity was a risk factor for severe COVID-19 in children during early outbreaks of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant. However, the relationship between obesity and COVID-19 severity during the Omicron wave remains unclear.

Evaluating the effectiveness of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and clinical and demographic characteristics on pneumococcal carriage density in young children

High nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage density is associated with severe pneumonia; however, little is known about factors that affect pneumococcal carriage density including pneumococcal vaccination. We describe pneumococcal density by clinical and demographic factors, and effect of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) on density in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Mongolia, 3–6 years following national PCV13 introduction.

Drug-resistant gram-negative bacterial infections in children in the Oceania region: review of the epidemiology, antimicrobial availability, treatment, clinical trial and pharmacokinetic

Gram-negative bacterial infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children and neonates globally, compounded by the rise of antimicrobial resistance. Barriers to paediatric antibiotic licencing lead to reduced availability of potentially effective agents for treatment. For children and neonates in the Oceania region, specific challenges remain including a paucity of surveillance data on local rates of antimicrobial resistance, and lack of availability of newer, more costly agents.