Search
To evaluate the effectiveness of maternal pertussis vaccination for preventing pertussis infections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants under seven months of age.
Researchers from the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at The Kids Research Institute Australia have shared their expertise with the community in Cockburn, covering topics ranging from respiratory disease in babies to recurring ear infections in kids.
Maternal influenza and pertussis vaccination is an important strategy to reduce morbidity and mortality in infants. Previous vaccine safety studies have mostly focused on the association between maternal vaccination and fetal death.
Researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia and Curtin University will use a $3.9 million grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council to investigate whether a type of whooping cough vaccine could provide bonus protection against food allergies and eczema.
Asthma is among the commonest noncommunicable diseases of childhood and often occurs with other atopic comorbidities. A previous case-control study found evidence that compared to children who received acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines in early infancy, children who received one or more doses of whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccine had lower risk of developing IgE-mediated food allergy. We hypothesized that wP vaccination in early infancy might protect against atopic asthma in childhood.
Pregnancy and early infancy are increased risk periods for severe adverse effects of respiratory infections. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (respectfully referred to as First Nations) women and children in Australia bear a disproportionately higher burden of respiratory diseases compared to non-Indigenous women and infants. Influenza vaccines and whooping cough (pertussis) vaccines are recommended and free in every Australian pregnancy to combat these infections.
Antenatal inactivated influenza and pertussis-containing vaccines offer protection against severe respiratory infections for pregnant women and infants <6 months of age. Both vaccines are recommended in pregnancy; however, little is known about temporal or jurisdictional trends and predictors of uptake.
Ruth Peter Thornton Richmond PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP Co-head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group (BRIDG) Head, Vaccine Trials Group
Tiny babies could soon have much-needed protection from community transmission of potentially deadly whooping cough thanks to a world-first nasal spray vaccine being trialed at The Kids Research Institute Australia.
Research by The Kids Research Institute Australia will soon ensure young children are better protected against whooping cough.