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We assessed the safety of receiving an influenza vaccination during any trimester of pregnancy with respect to preterm births and infant birthweight.
Influenza A virus is the only influenza virus causing flu pandemics. Influenza is a highly contagious disease that can be deadly, especially in high-risk groups. Worldwide, these annual epidemics are estimated to result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness and in about 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in young children and the second leading cause of infant death worldwide. While global circulation has been extensively studied for respiratory viruses such as seasonal influenza, and more recently also in great detail for SARS-CoV-2, a lack of global multi-annual sampling of complete RSV genomes limits our understanding of RSV molecular epidemiology.
Anthony Kicic BSc (Hons) PhD Rothwell Family Fellow; Head, Airway Epithelial Research Anthony.Kicic@thekids.org.au Rothwell Family Fellow; Head,
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.
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.
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.
Immunisation is the most effective way of protecting your child against a range of serious illnesses, including measles, hepatitis B and whooping cough. All vaccines used in Australia undergo stringent testing and ongoing monitoring.
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.
A new research project aims to demonstrate how influenza vaccination in children could be a highly cost-effective health care intervention in Australia.