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Research
Re-examining Hepatitis B Postexposure Prophylaxis Following Pediatric Community-acquired Needle-stick Injury in an Era of a National Immunization RegistryLong-term hepatitis B immunity has been demonstrated following the completion of the primary vaccination series in childhood. Some guidelines recommend a hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) directed approach following community-acquired needle-stick injury (CANSI) to inform hepatitis B postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) management.
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Pneumo-BNA: Using Bayesian network models to facilitate a microbiological diagnosis in childhood pneumonia: development of a clinical decision support toolChristopher Peter Tom Blyth Richmond Snelling MBBS (Hons) DCH FRACP FRCPA PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP BMBS DTMH GDipClinEpid PhD FRACP Centre Head,
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Aminoglycoside use in paediatric febrile neutropenia - Outcomes from a nationwide prospective cohort studyAminoglycosides are commonly prescribed to children with febrile neutropenia (FN) but their impact on clinical outcomes is uncertain and extent of guideline compliance is unknown. We aimed to review aminoglycoside prescription and additional antibiotic prescribing, guideline compliance and outcomes for children with FN.
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Antibody responses against influenza A decline with successive years of annual influenza vaccinationInfluenza vaccine effectiveness and immunogenicity can be compromised with repeated vaccination. We assessed immunological markers in a cohort of healthcare workers (HCW) from six public hospitals around Australia during 2020-2021.
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The Unintended Impact of COVID-19 Associated Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on Paediatric Hospital Admissions: An Interrupted Time Series AnalysisCOVID-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.
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Antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococci spp. isolates from bloodstream infections in Australian children, 2013 - 2021Rising proportions of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have been observed in both Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus spp. isolates.
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Lack of effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination against pneumococcal carriage density in Papua New Guinean infantsPapua New Guinea (PNG) introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2014, with administration at 1, 2, and 3 months of age. PCV13 has reduced or eliminated carriage of vaccine types in populations with low pneumococcal carriage prevalence, carriage density and serotype diversity.
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Whole genome sequencing and molecular epidemiology of paediatric Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemiaThe role Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial resistance genes and toxins play in disease severity, management and outcome in childhood is an emerging field requiring further exploration.

People
Associate Professor Lea-Ann KirkhamCo-Head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group; Microbiology Lead, Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines & Infectious Diseases
Research
Clinical predictors of hypoxic pneumonia in children from the Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea: secondary analysis of two prospective observational studiesPneumonia is the leading cause of death in young children globally and is prevalent in the Papua New Guinea highlands. We investigated clinical predictors of hypoxic pneumonia to inform local treatment guidelines in this resource-limited setting.