Project Description
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a highly contagious respiratory virus that causes chest infections. RSV is the number one cause of hospitalisation in Australian children under 5 years of age. Babies under the age of 6 months are most likely to develop severe symptoms from an RSV infection and up to one in 30 babies could be hospitalised. There are now multiple immunisation strategies to protect babies and young infants from the severe effects of RSV.
Housed within the Infectious Disease Epidemiology team, STAMP RSV is a program of work that is focused on 4 key interrelated aims, each aim includes specific objectives and uses wide-ranging methodologies, drawing on the expertise of the multidisciplinary investigator team.
- Aim 1 – Raising Community Awareness
- Aim 2 – Enhancing Surveillance
- Aim 3 – Population Dynamics
- Aim 4 – Public Health Impact
The overarching methodology is epidemiological data analysis of real-world data, taking advantage of WA’s unique data resources and meaningful connections with stakeholders in the research, community and health services sector, in accordance with guidance from The Immunisation Foundation of Australia.
STAMP-RSV is guided by a community reference group with lived experiences of RSV. The goal is to translate research findings into effective and efficient RSV control policies to reduce the health and economic burden of RSV. We will create a respiratory infection platform that can be adapted for other viruses (e.g, parainfluenza, human metapneumovirus) likely to be on vaccine development pathways. Research activities to date have led to measuring the real-world effectiveness of RSV immunisation products as they are rolled out (the REVIVE study: REspiratory syncytial Virus Immunisation program – eValuating Effectiveness and impact) and developing an online tool to help guide parents, carers and health care providers on RSV immunisation recommendations.
Throughout this project, we will create a hub of resources on RSV and RSV immunisation.
For more information, please contact STAMP_RSV@thekids.org.au.
Investigators
- Chief Investigator A/Prof Hannah Moore, The Kids Research Institute Australia, hannah.moore@telethonkids.org.au
- Prof Christopher Blyth, Perth Childrens Hospital & The Kids Research Institute Australia
- Dr Samantha Carlson, The Kids Research Institute Australia
- Fiona Giannini, The Kids Research Institute Australia
- Dr Minda Sarna, The Kids Research Institute Australia
- Dr David Foley, PathWest, Genomics
- Catherine Hughes, Immunisation Foundation of Australia
- Prof Peter Richmond, Perth Childrens Hospital
- Dr Avram Levy, PathWest, Genomics
- A/Prof Ewan Cameron, The Kids Research Institute Australia
Funders
Stan Perron Charitable Foundation
