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Research
“Our kids are our future”: Barriers and facilitators to vaccine uptake and timeliness among Aboriginal children younger than five years in Boorloo (Perth), Western AustraliaRates of several vaccine preventable diseases, and associated hospitalisation, are higher among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children than non-Indigenous children. Western Australia has among the lowest childhood vaccine coverage in Australia, particularly among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children. Delayed vaccination is also more common in this population. This project aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators to vaccine uptake and timeliness among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children aged under five years in Boorloo (Perth).
Research
Haemophilus influenzae remains the predominant otitis media pathogen in Australian children undergoing ventilation tube insertion in the PCV13 eraUnderstanding 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.
Research
Optimising a 6-plex tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis fluorescent bead-based immunoassaySmall volume assays are required for large-scale research studies and in particular paediatric trials, where multiple measures are required from a single sample. Fluorescent bead-based technology (Bioplex/Luminex) allows high through-put and simultaneous quantification of multiple analytes in a single test. This technology uses sets of microspheres, each with a unique spectral address that can be coated with a different antigen of interest.
Research
Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Given in the Week After Birth Does Not Impair Antibody Responses to Later Childhood DosesA birth acellular pertussis vaccine may be a valuable alternative for immunity against infant pertussis when a pregnancy pertussis vaccine has not been administered. We assessed whether a birth dose may impair immunoglobulin G (IgG) responses to childhood pertussis boosters.
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Immunogenicity and Safety of a 2 + 1 DTPa Priming Schedule in Australian Infants and the Impact of Maternally Derived Antibodies on Pertussis Antibody Responses up to 4 Years of AgeWe assessed the impact of maternally derived pertussis antibodies on infant responses to a 2 + 1 vaccine schedule (6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 12 months). Infants with baseline antibodies showed lower IgG responses following the primary vaccination series, but this did not impair booster responses at 4 years of age.
News & Events
The Kids Research Institute Australia leads WA arm of Australia’s first needle-free COVID-19 vaccine studyEnrolments for Australia’s first needle-free, gene-based COVID-19 vaccine study – to be led in WA by The Kids Research Institute Australia – are open.
Research
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination for protection against recurrent herpes labialis: a nested randomised controlled trialRecurrences of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in the orofacial region (herpes labialis or cold sores) impact quality-of-life. We aimed to study whether the bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine can attenuate cold sore recurrences through off-target immunomodulatory effects.
Research
West Australian parents’ views on vaccinating their children against COVID-19: a qualitative studyAustralian children and adolescents were among the last local cohorts offered COVID-19 vaccines. Despite promising initial uptake, coverage subsequently plateaued, requiring further efforts to improve access and build parents’ recognition of the importance of COVID-19 vaccination.
Research
From speculative to real: Community attitudes towards government COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Western Australia from May 2021 to April 2022Many governments employed mandates for COVID-19 vaccines, imposing consequences upon unvaccinated people. Attitudes towards these policies have generally been positive, but little is known about how discourses around them changed as the characteristics of the disease and the vaccinations evolved.
Research
Early treatment with fluvoxamine, bromhexine, cyproheptadine, and niclosamide to prevent clinical deterioration in patients with symptomatic COVID-19: a randomized clinical trialRepurposed drugs with host-directed antiviral and immunomodulatory properties have shown promise in the treatment of COVID-19, but few trials have studied combinations of these agents. The aim of this trial was to assess the effectiveness of affordable, widely available, repurposed drugs used in combination for treatment of COVID-19, which may be particularly relevant to low-resource countries.