National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
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Overview
The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS) receives funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to provide national reports on vaccine preventable diseases and vaccines, immunisation coverage and adverse events following immunisation, and conducts national serosurveys. NCIRS also receives funding from NSW Health under a Memorandum of Understanding to provide specific additional support specific to immunisation programs in NSW.
In addition to this government funding, NCIRS has been successful in attracting funding for clinical and epidemiologic research from granting bodies including National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC) and conducts clinical trials of specific vaccines under contracts with vaccine manufacturers, usually with other trial centres.
Research achievements
With respect to research and surveillance conducted under government funding agreements, a wide range of reports and epidemiologic studies were published during the previous year.
With respect to grant-funded and industry-funded research, influenza has been a particular focus in both children and adults. Ongoing studies have included an ARC funded study on the economic and social benefits of treating influenza in aged care facilities, and a study under contract with CSL addressing the effectiveness of adult vaccination against influenza using the CSL vaccine.
Several new studies have commenced. These include examining viral resistance in influenza and hospitalization secondary to influenza and another ARC-funded study into the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in children attending day care.
Most recently, NCIRS has commenced a H1N1 09 "swine" influenza vaccine immunogenicity trial with CSL and over 400 children were recruited to a safety and tolerability study of seasonal influenza vaccine in 2009.
Two treatment trials of antivirals for influenza were also funded under NHMRC emergency funding provisions, one addressing whether resistance is less likely to develop if a higher dose of oseltamivir is used, while the other directly compares oseltamivir with zanamavir in relation to the risk of drug resistance developing on treatment.
Pertussis has been another focus of epidemiologic research and, following a successful pilot study of acellular pertussis vaccine at birth, a NHMRC project grant was secured in 2008 to commence a larger multi-centre study in 2009. This study will compare giving monovalent pertussis vaccine given at birth with Hepatitis B vaccine with Hepatitis B vaccine at birth alone, with both groups of babies receiving a combination vaccine including pertussis at 6 weeks of age.
