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New collaborative research involving almost 600,000 pregnant mothers has demonstrated a dramatic increase in uptake of the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine after identifying just 22 per cent of WA women had the maternal vaccination between 2012 – 2017.
Babies worldwide could have access to life-saving influenza vaccinations from just eight weeks of age thanks to researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia and the generous support of the Telethon community.
Infectious disease researchers who used a decade of scientific evidence to advocate for a nationwide childhood influenza immunisation policy have earned a finalist position at the country’s most prestigious science awards – the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.
News headlines about the large number of life-threatening cases of the flu in Western Australia this winter have been hard to miss - find out what you can do to protect your family.
Perth parents are underestimating the serious consequences of the flu, with only 19 per cent of children under five years of age currently immunized against the virus ahead of the peak winter flu season.
Influenza infection contributes substantially to global morbidity and mortality, with children undergoing treatment for cancer among the most vulnerable due to immunosuppression associated with disease and treatment. However, influenza remains one of the most common vaccine-preventable diseases.
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.
Seasonal inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) is routinely recommended during pregnancy to protect both mothers and infants from complications following influenza infection. While previous studies have evaluated the risk of major structural birth defects in infants associated with prenatal administration of monovalent pandemic IIV, fewer studies have evaluated the risk associated with prenatal seasonal IIV.
Children in low-mid income countries, and First Nations children in high-income countries, experience disproportionately high rates of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae infections and diseases including pneumonia and otitis media.
Respiratory viruses are increasingly detected in children with community-acquired pneumonia but prevalence estimates vary substantially. We aimed to systematically review and pool estimates for 22 viruses commonly associated with community-acquired pneumonia.