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Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) are a major cause of hospitalisation in young children
Background: High incidence and serotype diversity of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Indigenous children in remote Australia led to rapid introduction of
Influenza is major cause of paediatric hospitalisation. Influenza vaccine was offered to all children aged 6-59 months resident in Western Australia in 2008
Papua New Guinea (PNG) introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2014, with administration at 1, 2, and 3 months of age. PCV13 has reduced or eliminated carriage of vaccine types in populations with low pneumococcal carriage prevalence, carriage density and serotype diversity.
Influenza vaccine effectiveness and immunogenicity can be compromised with repeated vaccination. We assessed immunological markers in a cohort of healthcare workers (HCW) from six public hospitals around Australia during 2020-2021.
Globally, Indigenous populations have been disproportionately impacted by pandemics. In Australia, though national infection rates with COVID-19 infections in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were lower in the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was soon a greater burden in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Island people once Omicron was circulating. Uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine was also lower among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
Rising proportions of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have been observed in both Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus spp. isolates.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) causes a significant burden of illness for children under 2 years of age. Nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody, was registered for RSV prevention in Australia in 2023. In April 2024, Western Australia (WA) launched the country's first state-wide nirsevimab program for all infants and high-risk children entering their second RSV season.
Aminoglycosides are commonly prescribed to children with febrile neutropenia (FN) but their impact on clinical outcomes is uncertain and extent of guideline compliance is unknown. We aimed to review aminoglycoside prescription and additional antibiotic prescribing, guideline compliance and outcomes for children with FN.
The overarching goal of the Australian coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program has been to protect all people in Australia from the harm caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This review reflects on the role of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) in the national COVID-19 vaccination program, in terms of the initial programmatic and clinical recommendations in the evolving context of evidence relating to the disease and vaccines, epidemiology, and the program rollout.