WA AND QLD RSV IMMUNISATION PROGRAMS SHOW SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN INFANT HOSPITALISATIONS Consumer and HCP awareness, advocacy focus until national program decision is reversed
Filmed Perth, Western Australia | October 2024
RSV is the number one cause of hospitalisation of Australian children under five years of age, according to the Immunisation Foundation of Australia (IFA). There are mounting concerns that Australians at greatest risk of severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV will miss out on protection against the lung infection, with the Federal Government failing to commit to a national RSV immunisation program.
Associate Professor Hannah Moore OAM, Program Head of Infections and Vaccines at the Kids Research Institute Australia, met with Australian Health Journal to discuss the impact of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) on children and immunisation showing evidence of a significant reduction in hospitalisations.
She talks about RSV causing chest infections in babies and adults, with most children being infected by the age of three. However, certain groups face higher disease rates, and infants under six months are particularly vulnerable, with up to one in 30 being hospitalised. Even older children up to five years old experience hospitalisation rates for RSV around one in 500 children.
Australian Health Journal also spoke with Catherine Hughes, the Founder and Executive Director of the Immunisation Foundation of Australia (IFA), on the need for RSV immunisations to be included in the National Immunisation Plan to ensure equitable access for vulnerable Australians. RSV immunisation programs in Western Australia and Queensland are showing promising results, leading to a significant reduction in hospitalisations. This is in contrast with the disappointment in the PBAC recently rejecting a national RSV vaccine push.
“Australia urgently needs a nationwide RSV immunisation program,” said Catherine Hughes AM, Founder and Director of the Immunisation Foundation of Australia.
IFA aims to raise awareness of RSV severity and has launched the “Unite Against RSV” campaign to provide resources for the clinical community and families. Additionally, vaccines for adults over 60 and pregnant women, as well as antibody therapy for infants, have been approved to combat RSV. The Foundation also provides regular updates on policy changes related to RSV to clinicians and other providers through its website and email subscriptions.
Efforts are being made to ensure that all Australians, especially vulnerable individuals, have access to affordable RSV immunisations. The Foundation’s advocacy work aims to include RSV immunisations on the National Immunisation Plan to guarantee easy access for all Australian families. The success of RSV immunisation programs in Western Australia and Queensland mounts the evidence on the positive impact of proactive measures in combating RSV.
-
CASE STUDY: Evolution in the medical device supply chain
For Cardinal Health, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical products, the process begins when products arrive in Australia and are cleared by customs before being stored at their Sydney warehouse. From here, they fulfil orders for various clients, including hospitals and wholesalers, supported by DHL’s logistics services.
-
Bionic eye trial shows improvements in functional vision for retinitis pigmentosa
Results of the first clinical trial of Australia’s ‘second generation’ bionic eye have demonstrated ‘substantial improvement’ in four participants’ functional vision, daily activities and quality of life over a period of more than two and a half years.
Led by the Centre for Eye Research Australia, Bionics Institute, University of Melbourne and Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, the trial findings add to interim results which showed that the second-generation bionic eye developed by Australian company Bionic Vision Technologies provided rapid improvements for four patients with blindness caused the genetic eye condition retinitis pigmentosa.
-
Generosity of spirit in teaching
The Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence is considered one of the most prestigious awards in biomedical research in Australia and is highly sought after by researchers in the field.
In 2022, Professor Matthew Kiernan was the recipient of the Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence and the associated $50,000 award.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Professor Kiernan to hear about his journey in medicine and science to try and uncover and understand diseases and his generosity of spirit to pass on what he has learnt.
