Investigators: Hannah Moore, Nick De Klerk, Parveen Fathima, Ruomei Xu, Tom Snelling
External collaborators: Associate Professor Peter Richmond (Princess Margaret Hospital and School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of WA), Dr Tobias Strunk (King Edward Memorial and Princess Margaret Hospitals), Dr Anthony Keil (PathWest Laboratory Medicine)
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major cause of chest infections (such as bronchiolitis) in young children and causes many children to go to hospital. Children who are born preterm are at particular high risk of infection with this virus. Currently there is no vaccination against RSV infections and the only intervention available to protect high risk infants is the passive immunisation induced through a drug called palivizumab, which is given every month over the winter period. How well palivizumab does in preventing RSV infections among high risk babies has not been shown in Western Australia. By bringing together information on hospital, pharmacy, laboratory and birth records, we measured how many high risk babies were been given palivizumab and the reduction in infections caused by RSV. Data analysis for this project has now been finished and publications are currently being written.