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Whooping cough vaccine could help in the fight against food allergies

A dose of the whooping cough vaccine might reduce cases of childhood food allergies according to latest research by the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases based at The Kids Research Institute Australia.

Research

Influenza and pertussis vaccine coverage in pregnancy in Australia, 2016-2021

Vaccination in pregnancy is the best strategy to reduce complications from influenza or pertussis infection in infants who are too young to be protected directly from vaccination. Pregnant women are also at risk of influenza complications preventable through antenatal vaccination. Both vaccines are funded under the National Immunisation Program for pregnant women in Australia, but coverage is not routinely reported nationally. 

News & Events

Extra whooping cough shot to protect your bub

Toddlers will now get an additional whooping cough vaccine to protect them against the potentially deadly disease.

News & Events

Re-think on strategies to prevent whooping cough in newborns

Governments should rethink strategies to prevent whooping cough in newborn infants, including booster vaccination of close contacts of the baby.

Research

Characterization of “bystander” effects of the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DTP) vaccine on the IgE system

We are seeking more detailed information on how the immune system of infants responds to the vaccine, with the aim of identifying which aspects of the immune r

Infectious Disease Implementation Research

The Infectious Disease Implementation Research Team is a multi-disciplinary group researching the best way to implement infectious disease prevention and treatment strategies to improve the wellbeing of children and teenagers.

Research

Association between pertussis vaccination in infancy and childhood asthma: A population-based record linkage cohort study

Asthma is among the commonest noncommunicable diseases of childhood and often occurs with other atopic comorbidities. A previous case-control study found evidence that compared to children who received acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines in early infancy, children who received one or more doses of whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccine had lower risk of developing IgE-mediated food allergy. We hypothesized that wP vaccination in early infancy might protect against atopic asthma in childhood. 

Research

Inequity of antenatal influenza and pertussis vaccine coverage in Australia: the Links2HealthierBubs record linkage cohort study, 2012–2017

Pregnancy and early infancy are increased risk periods for severe adverse effects of respiratory infections. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (respectfully referred to as First Nations) women and children in Australia bear a disproportionately higher burden of respiratory diseases compared to non-Indigenous women and infants. Influenza vaccines and whooping cough (pertussis) vaccines are recommended and free in every Australian pregnancy to combat these infections.

Research

Vaccine coverage in children born to migrant mothers in Australia: A population-based cohort study

Overall, infant immunisation coverage is currently >90% in Australia, but there are pockets of under-immunised children including children from migrant backgrounds.

Research

Links2HealthierBubs' cohort study: Protocol for a study on the safety, uptake and effectiveness of influenza and pertussis vaccines among pregnant Australian women

Multi-jurisdictional cohort of mother-infant pairs to measure the uptake, safety and effectiveness of antenatal IIV and dTpa vaccines in three Australian jurisdictions