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Post tuberculosis disability

Kefyalew Alene BSc, MPH, PhD Head, Geospatial and Tuberculosis 0404705064 Kefyalew.alene@thekids.org.au Honorary Research Fellow Dr Kefyalew Alene

Preparing for prevention: Assessing the community awareness of RSV and other childhood infections

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the most common reasons babies are admitted to hospital – with Aboriginal and preterm infants at greatest risk.

Spatiotemporal patterns of drug susceptible and drug resistant tuberculosis in Hunan Province, China

Investigators: Kefyalew Alene, Archie Clements External collaborators: Kerri Viney, Dr Darren J Gray (Australian National University) Zuhui Xu (

Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium (SAVAC) 2.0

The mission of SAVAC, the Strep A Vaccine Global Consortium, to ensure that safe, effective and affordable Strep A vaccines are available and implemented to decrease the burden of Strep A disease in the most in need.

“We've wanted to vaccinate against it and now we can”: views of respiratory syncytial virus disease and immunisation held by caregivers of Aboriginal children in Perth, Western Australia

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory infection with a higher burden in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants and children. We conducted a pilot qualitative study identifying disease knowledge and willingness to immunise following the changing immunisation landscape for infant RSV in 2024.

Clinical outcomes and severity of laboratory-confirmed RSV compared with influenza, parainfluenza and human metapneumovirus in Australian children attending secondary care

Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) are a major contributor to the global infectious disease burden and a common cause of hospitalisation for children under 2 years. We compared clinical severity in children hospitalised with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and influenza virus (IFV).

Improving the detection of congenital syphilis: reviewing test utility and adherence to recommendations

Western Australia (WA) has experienced a resurgence of congenital syphilis. Appropriate microbiology testing of the neonate is recommended to confirm infection, including syphilis immunoglobulin M (IgM), rapid plasma reagin (RPR) paired with a maternal sample, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on placenta and nasal swabs.

Modelling respiratory syncytial virus age-specific risk of hospitalisation in term and preterm infants

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory infections in children worldwide. The highest incidence of severe disease is in the first 6 months of life, with infants born preterm at greatest risk for severe RSV infections.

From speculative to real: Community attitudes towards government COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Western Australia from May 2021 to April 2022

Many governments employed mandates for COVID-19 vaccines, imposing consequences upon unvaccinated people. Attitudes towards these policies have generally been positive, but little is known about how discourses around them changed as the characteristics of the disease and the vaccinations evolved.

Head-to-Head Comparison Between Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Human Metapneumovirus Bronchiolitis in the Setting of Increased Viral Testing

We compared the epidemiology, severity and management of hospitalized respiratory syncytial virus (n = 305) and human metapneumovirus (n = 39) bronchiolitis in a setting with high respiratory virus testing (95% of admissions tested). Respiratory syncytial virus-positive infants were younger and tended to require more hydration support and longer hospital stays compared to human metapneumovirus-positive infants. Respiratory support requirements were similar between groups despite significant age differences.