Meningococcal disease is caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis, or 'meningococcus'. It is an uncommon but very serious disease that can result in death if not recognised and treated quickly. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
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• Research Topics

Invasive group A streptococcal (Strep A) infections occur when Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as beta-hemolytic group A Streptococcus, invades a normally sterile site in the body. This article provides guidelines for establishing surveillance for invasive Strep A infections. The primary objective of invasive Strep A surveillance is to monitor trends in rates of infection and determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with laboratory-confirmed invasive Strep A infection, the age- and sex-specific incidence in the population of a defined geographic area, trends in risk factors, and the mortality rates and rates of nonfatal sequelae caused by invasive Strep A infections. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• September 2022

Pharyngitis, more commonly known as sore throat, is caused by viral and/or bacterial infections. Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) is the most common bacterial cause of pharyngitis. Strep A pharyngitis is an acute, self-limiting disease but if undertreated can lead to suppurative complications, nonsuppurative poststreptococcal immune-mediated diseases, and toxigenic presentations. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• September 2022

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation and New Zealand Ministry of Health recommend all children aged ≥ 5 years receive either of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines: Comirnaty (Pfizer), available in both Australia and New Zealand, or Spikevax (Moderna), available in Australia only. Both vaccines are efficacious and safe in the general population, including children. Children and adolescents undergoing treatment for cancer and immunosuppressive therapy for non-malignant haematological conditions are particularly vulnerable, with an increased risk of severe or fatal COVID-19. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• February 2022

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes pharyngitis (sore throat) and impetigo (skin sores) GAS pharyngitis triggers rheumatic fever (RF) with epidemiological evidence supporting that GAS impetigo may also trigger RF in Australian Aboriginal children. Understanding the concurrent burden of these superficial GAS infections is critical to RF prevention. This pilot study aimed to trial tools for concurrent surveillance of sore throats and skins sore for contemporary studies of RF pathogenesis including development of a sore throat checklist for Aboriginal families and pharynx photography. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• March 2023

Positive maternal mental health during the perinatal period contributes to general well-being and positive emotional bonds with the child, encouraging an optimal developmental trajectory. Online interventions to enhance maternal well-being and develop coping skills, such as meditation-based interventions, can be a low-cost way to improve mother and child outcomes. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• January 2023

The RHD Endgame Strategy: the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease in Australia by 2031 (the Endgame Strategy) is the blueprint to eliminate rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in Australia by 2031. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live with one of the highest per capita burdens of RHD in the world. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2020
• November 2020

On-time coverage of the 2-4-6 month schedule is only 50-60% across specific population subgroups representing a significant avoidable public health risk ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2018
• June 2018

Helen Jenny Keely Leonard Downs Bebbington HM JA KB MBChB MPH BApplSci (physio) MSc PhD MClinPsych/PhD Principal Research Fellow Program Head, Development and Disability McCusker Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Type 1 Diabetes +61 419 956 946 08 ...

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This paper describes a mathematical model used to predict when an epidemic of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will occur so that preventive measures, such... ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2014
• June 2014

Group A streptococcus (GAS) infections, such as pharyngitis and impetigo, can lead to rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations experience high rates of RHD and GAS skin infection, yet rates of GAS pharyngitis are unclear.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2024
• April 2024

For millennia, Aboriginal people's ways of knowing, doing and being were shared through art, song, and dance. Colonisation silenced these ways, affecting loss of self-determination for Aboriginal people. Over the past decade in Australia, hip-hop projects have become culturally appropriate approaches for health promotion.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2023
• December 2023