Infectious Diseases Epidemiology

Our group has a particular interest in acute lower respiratory infections, commonly known as chest infections. These conditions include bronchiolitis and pneumonia and occurs secondary to viral and bacterial infections including viral pathogens respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, human metapneumovirus and parainfluenza virus and bacterial pathogens including Streptococcus pneumoniae and Bordetella pertussis. Chest infections are a major cause of childhood morbidity with some population subgroups experiencing higher rates of severe disease including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children, those with co-morbidities and those from a lower socio-economic background.

The work of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology team centres around three key themes:

• Burden of Disease – understanding pathogen-specific burden of disease, temporal and seasonal trends in disease and perinatal risk factors to disease in population groups using a range of data sources.
• Prevention and Policy – evaluating current prevention policy, such as vaccination policy at local and population levels, incorporating assessment of vaccine coverage, cost effectiveness and overall program performance in reducing the incidence of disease. We also use data to advocate for new immunisation programs, including RSV.
• Diagnosis and Treatment - developing ways to improve surveillance of and the diagnosis and treatment of severe respiratory infections in children through prospective cohort studies, clinical trials and use of administrative health data.

Our team employs an array of methodologies including epidemiological analyses of large-scale population-based linked administrative health data; statistical and mathematical modelling; undertaking prospective cohort studies and clinical trials; and conducting social research.