Health of refugees settled in Australia over time and generations: a transformative mixed methods study protocol.

Background: Refugees resettled in Australia may experience significant physical, mental and emotional health issues on arrival and difficulty accessing mainstream healthcare that often demands specialised services. It is not known if and how refugee health needs and service use change over time and generations, how this compares with the broader Australian population and what level of resourcing is required to maintain specialised services. There is also a significant knowledge gap concerning the resources and skills of refugees that can be harnessed to sustain the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

Risk factors predicting the need for intensive care unit admission within forty-eight hours of emergency department presentation: A case-control study.

Background: Patients admitted from the emergency department to the wards, who progress to a critically unwell state, may require expeditious admission to the intensive care unit. It can be argued that earlier recognition of such patients, to facilitate prompt transfer to intensive care, could be linked to more favourable clinical outcomes. Nevertheless, this can be clinically challenging, and there are currently no established evidence-based methods for predicting the need for intensive care in the future.

"It's no use saying it in English": A qualitative study exploring community leaders' perceptions of the challenges and opportunities with translating and interpreting COVID-19 related public health messaging to reach ethnic minorities in Australia.

Background: The Australian Government implemented a range of public health response strategies and communication approaches to reduce the spread of COVID-19; however, concerns have been raised around a failure to sufficiently consider culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities in these processes. This research aimed to understand the factors that have impacted COVID-19 communication and engagement efforts during the pandemic from the perspective of key CaLD community and faith-based leaders. A further aim was to understand the processes that could be adopted to support future communication strategies, including promoting pandemic-related vaccines.

Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella antibodies among international and domestic university students.

Background: Vaccine-preventable infections are generally well controlled in Australia. However, gaps in immunity can lead to outbreaks and are important to identify. Young adults are a highly mobile population and a potential source of imported infections.

Trends in intravenous immunoglobulin use in New South Wales, Australia.

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is a critical replacement therapy for immunodeficiencies and immunomodulatory treatment for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Adequate supply of IVIg is a global issue, necessitating supply restrictions. In Australia, despite strict criteria for use, demand for IVIg has increased over time and exceeds domestic supply.

Informing the design of a whole of life immunisation register for Australia.

Introduction: In 2016, Australia launched a whole life immunisation register, the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), building on a universal childhood register established in 1997. Immunisation Information Systems are well established in Europe, the US and elsewhere. However, a national system covering immunisation across the lifespan, with complete capture of the population and satisfactory data quality, is rare.

Factors Associated With Willingness to Use Daily Antibiotics as Sexually Transmitted Infection Prophylaxis Among HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis-Experienced Gay and Bisexual Men in Australia.

Background: Gay and bisexual men (GBM) who use HIV preexposure prophylaxis (HIV-PrEP) have high rates of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The use of daily antibiotics as STI preexposure prophylaxis (STI-PrEP) may be appealing to GBM who are using or have previously used HIV-PrEP (HIV-PrEP-experienced) for the prevention of bacterial STIs.

Methods: We examined willingness to use daily STI-PrEP among a cross-sectional sample of HIV-PrEP-experienced GBM in Australia who participated in an observational online cohort study from August 2018 to March 2020.

Corticosteroid Use and Risk of Herpes Zoster in a Population-Based Cohort.

Objective: To examine the relationship between corticosteroid use and herpes zoster risk.

Methods: With data from a large cohort of adults (the 45 and Up Study) recruited between 2006 and 2009 and linked to health data sets, the effect of corticosteroid use on zoster risk was analyzed by Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for age, sex, and other characteristics.

Results: During 602,152 person-years (median, 7.

Use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and the subsequent risk of herpes zoster in older adults.

Objectives: To examine the association between DMARD use and subsequent risk of herpes zoster in a large, heterogeneous and prospective population-based cohort.

Methods: Using data from a cohort of adults (45 and Up Study) recruited between 2006 and 2009 and linked to pharmaceutical, hospital and death data (2004-2015), the effect of DMARD use on zoster risk was analysed using Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities and corticosteroid use.

Results: Among 254 065 eligible participants, over 1 826 311 person-years follow-up, there were 6295 new DMARD users and 17 024 incident herpes zoster events.

Examining Australian public perceptions and behaviors towards a future COVID-19 vaccine.

Background: As immunisation program launches have previously demonstrated, it is essential that careful planning occurs now to ensure the readiness of the public for a COVID-19 vaccine. As part of that process, this study aimed to understand the public perceptions regarding a future COVID-19 vaccine in Australia.

Methods: A national cross-sectional online survey of 1420 Australian adults (18 years and older) was undertaken between 18 and 24 March 2020.

The Impact of Receiving Pretravel Health Advice on the Prevention of Hajj-Related Illnesses Among Australian Pilgrims: Cohort Study.

Background: Pretravel health advice can play a crucial role in improving both travelers' awareness about disease risk and compliance with preventive measures. General practitioners (GPs) and the internet have been reported internationally to be the main sources of health advice for travelers to non-mass gathering (MG) destinations. However, few studies have attempted to investigate the sources of health advice among travelers to MGs including the Hajj pilgrimage, and none of these studies further investigated the impact of pretravel advice on pilgrims' health behaviors.

Risk of recurrent herpes zoster in a population-based cohort study of older adults.

Background: There are limited data on zoster recurrence.

Objective: To examine in detail zoster recurrence in a population-based cohort.

Methods: Using data from a large cohort (The 45 and Up Study) with linked medical data (2004-2015), the incidences of first and recurrent zoster were examined by using survival analysis methods.

COVID-19 is rapidly changing: Examining public perceptions and behaviors in response to this evolving pandemic.

Background: Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in late 2019, communities have been required to rapidly adopt community mitigation strategies rarely used before, or only in limited settings. This study aimed to examine the attitudes and beliefs of Australian adults towards the COVID-19 pandemic, and willingness and capacity to engage with these mitigation measures. In addition, we aimed to explore the psychosocial and demographic factors that are associated with adoption of recommended hygiene-related and avoidance-related behaviors.

Tracking Australian Hajj Pilgrims' Health Behavior before, during and after Hajj, and the Effective Use of Preventive Measures in Reducing Hajj-Related Illness: A Cohort Study.

This study assessed Australian Hajj pilgrims' knowledge, attitude and practices throughout their Hajj journey to understand their health behaviors, use of preventative measures and development of illness symptoms. A prospective cohort study with data collection at three phases (before, during and after Hajj) was conducted among Australian pilgrims between August and December 2015. Baseline data were collected from 421 pilgrims before Hajj, with 391 providing follow-up data during Hajj and 300 after their home return.

Financial cost analysis of a strategy to improve the quality of administrative vaccination data in Uganda.

Background: High-quality vaccination data are critical to planning, implementation and evaluation of immunization programs. However, sub-optimal administrative vaccination data quality in low- and middle-income countries persist for heterogeneous reasons, though most relate to organizational factors and human behavior. The nationwide Data Improvement Team (DIT) strategy in Uganda aimed to strengthen human resource capacity to generate quality administrative vaccination data at the health facility.

Migration Health: Highlights from Inaugural International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) Conference on Migration Health.

Purpose Of Review: International migration is a global phenomenon that is growing in scope, complexity and impact. The inaugural International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) International Conference on Migration Health provided a forum to discuss scientific evidence on the broad issues relevant to migration health. This review summarises the key health issues, with a focus on infectious diseases, current effective strategies and future considerations presented at this forum and in the recent literature.

Exploring parents' reasons for incomplete childhood immunisation in Indonesia.

Introduction: Immunisation is one of the most successful interventions for controlling infectious diseases but relies on continuous high coverage. Parental vaccine refusal and logistical barriers to access are threats to the success of immunisation programs, with resultant population immunity gaps leading to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. In Indonesia, coverage of childhood vaccines is suboptimal, with poor coverage of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine leading to a large diphtheria outbreak in 2017.

Exploring Australian Hajj Tour Operators' Knowledge and Practices Regarding Pilgrims' Health Risks: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Travel agents are known to be one of the main sources of health information for pilgrims, and their advice is associated with positive health behaviors.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate travel agents' health knowledge, what health advice they provide to the pilgrims, and their sources of health information.

Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted among specialist Hajj travel agents in Sydney, Australia.

HIV diagnoses in migrant populations in Australia-A changing epidemiology.

Introduction: We conducted a detailed analysis of trends in new HIV diagnoses in Australia by country of birth, to understand any changes in epidemiology, relationship to migration patterns and implications for public health programs.

Methods: Poisson regression analyses were performed, comparing the age-standardised HIV diagnosis rates per 100,000 estimated resident population between 2006-2010 and 2011-2015 by region of birth, with stratification by exposure (male-to-male sex, heterosexual sex-males and females). Correlation between the number of permanent and long-term arrivals was also explored using linear regression models.

Risk of Herpes Zoster Prior to and Following Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Information on the risks of herpes zoster (zoster) preceding a cancer diagnosis and the role of cancer treatment on risk is limited.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort of 241497 adults, with mean age 62.0 years at recruitment (2006-2009), linked to health datasets from 2006 to 2015.

Reducing infectious disease inequities among migrants.

Background: migration has reached unprecedented levels, with 3.6% of the world's population living outside their country of birth. Migrants comprise a substantial proportion of high-income country populations, are at increased risk of a range of infectious diseases, compared to native-born populations and may experience worse health outcomes due to barriers accessing timely diagnoses and treatment.