November report for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Modelling

6 November 2019

New grants/funding

Sam Colquhoun is a CI on a seed fund grant, TB in Pregnancy, awarded to Kathryn Snow from the Uni of Melbourne.

Tambri is co-investigator on two successful DFAT grants funded through the Centre for Health Security.

  1. FEiA - Field Epidemiology in Action (approx AUD 3 million) - this project will see the role out of the first field epidemiology training program in the Solomon Islands. Hunter New England Population Health is the lead.
  2. Pac-EVIPP - Pacific Evidence Informed Policies and Programs (approx AUD2.9 million) - this project will support the role out of three tiers of field epidemiology training including a new Operational Research training program throughout the pacific. The project will also support the development of a Knowledge Translation Platform which will function both to strengthen the use of research results for decision-making as well as providing policy-makers a platform to identify what they require to inform policies.

Keynote and invited speakers

Katie Glass was invited as a speaker to present “Diseases crossing Australia’s national and internal borders” at Borders in public health and mathematical Epidemiology in Toronto, November 2019.

Other conference presentations

Two MAE scholars are presenting at the Global TEPHINET conference in Atlanta, Georgia at the end of October.

  1. Dr. Hendrik Camphor. A novel, evidence–based methodology for polio risk assessment – Australia, 2018–2019.
  2. Ms. Dharshi Thangarajah. An ecological assessment of the impact of funded cocoon and maternal pertussis vaccination strategies on pertussis epidemiology in young infants - Australia, 2000-2017.

Two MAE scholars presented at the 11th International Conference on Public Health among Greater Mekong Sub-region Countries.

  1. Srean Chhim. Malária incidence trends an spatiotemporal distribution in Cambodia - results from nationwide passive surveillance data, 2006-2018.
  2. Vannida Douangboupha. Contributing factors to low measles immunisation coverage in an outbreak of hard to reach rural villages at Xaysomeboune province, Lao PDR.

Papers accepted/published

  1. Munck N, Smith J, Bates J, Glass K, Hald T, Kirk MD. Source attribution of Salmonella in macadamia nuts to animal and environmental reservoirs in Queensland, Australia. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease (in press).
  2. Viney K, Mills T, Harley D. Tuberculosis and diabetes-mellitus: A dose-response relationship between the odds of tuberculosis and HbA1c. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. 2019. 23(10): 1055-1059.

Other news

Amy Parry will launch her survey on “Enhancing the effectiveness of epidemiology response during emergencies” at the TEPHINET conference on 28 Oct 2019. This will be an international survey in both English and French and is a partnership with TEPHINET.

Kerri Viney has taken up a position in the Global TB Programme, WHO as a Scientist, where she will be working on treatment guidelines and policies and where she will contribute to the work on TB patient cost surveys (the topic of her NHMRC fellowship).

Two MAE scholars, Stephanie Wheeler and Kirsten Williamson, are with Tambri Housen in Papua New Guinea (PNG) working with PNG field epidemiology training program and staff from Hunter New England Population Heath Unit - supporting the role out of the first Advanced Field Epidemiology Training Program. 

Progress on Research Projects

Timor-Leste stunting and malnutrition study update:

  • 44 home visits have been completed for the birth cohort. There have been three Campylobacter positives. Three vet visits have also been completed with one Campylobacter positive.
  • The hospital cohort sampling began on the 21st of October with two cases confirmed so far.
  • Further study is planned with STRONG TL and HNGV on hypernatraemic dehydration risk factors.
  • Almerio Moniz (ANU contracted project manager) is completing the SORT It course this week. His project will look at food safety with a focus on infant formula preparation in the home.

Sam Colquhoun is now leading a systematic review for the WHO on TB and disability.