Search the site

News & Events

New meningococcal strains bring increased risk in WA

A new study has confirmed the changing pattern of meningococcal disease in Western Australia.

Research

A Phase 3, randomized, double-blind trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine given as a series of 2 infant doses and 1 toddler dose in healthy infants (NeXXstep)

Jennifer Peter Kent Richmond RN MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP Clinical Research Manager Head, Vaccine Trials Group Jennifer.Kent@thekids.org.au Clinical

Research

Estimating the impact of Western Australia's first respiratory syncytial virus immunisation program for all infants: A mathematical modelling study

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration approved the use of nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody for the prevention of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), in November 2023. Western Australia (WA) implemented a combination of nirsevimab administration strategies designed to protect all infants starting in April 2024, before the epidemic season. We developed a dynamic transmission model to predict the impact of WA's RSV immunisation program on infant hospitalisations.

Research

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.

Research

OPTIMUM: OPTimising IMmunisation Using Mixed schedules

Pat Peter Susan Tom Jennifer Holt Richmond Prescott Snelling Kent PhD, DSc, FRCPath, FRCPI, FAA MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP MBBS BMedSci PhD FRACP BMBS DTMH

Research

TLR2 mediates recognition of live staphylococus epidermidis

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a nosocomial pathogen that causes catheter-associated bacteremia in the immunocompromised, including those at the extremes of age

Research

Antifungal therapy in infants and children with proven, probable or suspected invasive fungal infections

This review aims to systematically identify and summarise the effects of different antifungal therapies in children with proven, probable or suspected...

Research

Diverging trends for lower respiratory infections in non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal children

To investigate temporal trends in admission rates for acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in a total population birth cohort of non-Aboriginal and...

Research

Vaccinating young adults against HPV: the importance of understanding health decision-making and behaviour

Vaccination of young teenage females against human papillomavirus (HPV) with a newly licenced quadrivalent vaccine designed to prevent cervical cancer and...

Research

Respiratory Viral Testing Rate Patterns in Young Children Attending Tertiary Care Across Western Australia: A Population-Based Birth Cohort Study

Belaynew Christopher Peter Hannah Minda Huong Taye Blyth Richmond Moore Sarna Le MD, MPH, PhD MBBS (Hons) DCH FRACP FRCPA PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP OAM