Search

Haemophilus influenzae remains the predominant otitis media pathogen in Australian children undergoing ventilation tube insertion in the PCV13 era

Understanding patterns of bacterial carriage and otitis media (OM) microbiology is crucial for assessing vaccine impact and informing policy. The microbiology of OM can vary with geography, time, and interventions like pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs). We evaluated the microbiology of nasopharyngeal and middle ear effusions in children living in Western Australia, 11 years following the introduction of PCV13.

Assessing the Impact of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Immunization Schedule Change From 3+0 to 2+1 in Australian Children: A Retrospective Observational Study

In mid-2018, the Australian childhood 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine schedule changed from 3+0 to 2+1, moving the third dose to 12 months of age, to address increasing breakthrough cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), predominantly in children aged >12 months. This study assessed the impact of this change using national IPD surveillance data.

Changing rules, recommendations, and risks: COVID-19 vaccination decisions and emotions during pregnancy

As COVID-19 vaccinations rolled out globally from late 2020, rules and recommendations regarding vaccine use in pregnancy shifted rapidly. Pre-registration COVID-19 vaccine trials excluded those who were pregnant. Initial Australian medical advice did not routinely recommend COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy, due to limited safety data and little perceived risk of local transmission.

Applying causal inference and Bayesian statistics to understanding vaccine safety signals using a simulation study

Community perception of vaccine safety influences vaccine uptake. Our objective was to assess current vaccine safety monitoring by examining factors that may influence the availability of post-vaccination survey data, and thereby the specificity and sensitivity of existing signal detection methods.

Effectiveness of 2023 southern hemisphere influenza vaccines against severe influenza-associated illness: pooled estimates from eight countries using the test-negative design

Annual estimates of seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness can guide global risk communication and vaccination strategies to mitigate influenza-associated illness. We aimed to evaluate vaccine effectiveness in countries using the 2023 southern hemisphere influenza vaccine formulation.

Corrigendum to “A Phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active comparator-controlled study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of V114 compared

Peter Richmond MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP Head, Vaccine Trials Group Head, Vaccine Trials Group Professor Peter Richmond is Head of the Vaccine Trials Group

Spatial co-distribution of tuberculosis prevalence and low BCG vaccination coverage in Ethiopia

While bacille-calmette-guerin (BCG) vaccination is one of the recommended strategies for preventing tuberculosis, its coverage is low in several countries, including Ethiopia. This study investigated the spatial co-distribution and drivers of TB prevalence and low BCG coverage in Ethiopia.

Streptococcus pyogenes pharyngitis elicits diverse antibody responses to key vaccine antigens influenced by the imprint of past infections

Knowledge gaps regarding human immunity to Streptococcus pyogenes have impeded vaccine development. To address these gaps and evaluate vaccine candidates, we established a human challenge model of S. pyogenes pharyngitis. Here, we analyse antibody responses in serum and saliva against 19 antigens to identify characteristics distinguishing 19 participants who developed pharyngitis and 6 who did not.

Short-Term Active Safety Surveillance of the Spikevax and Nuvaxovid Priming Doses in Australia

Australia commenced administration of the Spikevax (Moderna mRNA-1273) COVID-19 vaccine in August 2021 and Nuvaxovid (Novavax NVX-CoV2373) in January 2022. This study describes the short-term safety profile of priming doses of the Spikevax and Nuvaxovid vaccines given between September 2021 and September 2023. 

‘I leave most of the decisions up to her:’ Gendered parenting, un/equal decision work, and responsibility for COVID-19 vaccination

Vaccination scholarship focuses on how privilege, individualized choice and ‘intensive’ and ‘natural’ parenthood – often motherhood – lead people to delay or not vaccinate their children. Recently, examining parents’ vaccination responsibilities – and the inequalities in paid employment and unpaid care work underpinning them – has become important to understand COVID-19.