Latest news with #TheKidsResearchInstituteAustralia
West Australian
2 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Groundbreaking WA research behind major health wins for Aussies
In 1989, Professor Carol Bower and Fiona Stanley made a landmark discovery: taking folate in early pregnancy reduced the risk of neural tube defects – such as spina bifida. It didn't stop there. They followed up their findings with decades of dedicated campaigning in the hopes the whole community would benefit from the dietary supplementation. It worked. It is estimated about 4,000 Australian children have been saved from debilitating and deadly birth defects since they started advocating for their folate research. Furthermore, they pushed for government policy to address the health needs of everyone nationwide regardless of culture, age, education or choice of hospital system. In response to the continued advocacy work, in 2009 Food Standards Australia New Zealand introduced a national mandatory fortification of wheat flour for breadmaking, resulting in a 14.4 per cent national decline in neural tube defects (NTD) from 2011 – 2016, and a 68 per cent reduction in the Aboriginal population – with rates dropping from 2.43 cases per 1,000 births between 2007 and 2009, to 0.82 cases per 1,000 births between 2011 and 2016 – roughly the same rate observed in the non-Indigenous population. It was a huge success; one now recognised by the Public Health Association of Australia as among the country's top 10 public health achievements in two decades. Not only is it a testament to the arduous work researchers do every day, but what most people don't know is that this public milestone can be traced back to Perth, at The Kids Research Institute Australia. Today, the legacy continues as WA scientists work on major health concerns including RSV, kids' physical activity and allergies, taking their research and transforming it into policy and real-world change. After more than two decades of research, modelling and collaboration, an effective RSV immunisation program for all pregnant women and newborn babies was rolled out nationally in 2025. It is expected to keep 10,000 babies out of hospital each year. Head of the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases based at The Kids Research Institue Australia Professor Chris Blyth said the launch effectively reduced life-threatening complications such as severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia in newborn babies. 'Our results show that RSV immunisation reduces the risk of being hospitalised with the virus by more than 80 per cent and has seen an overall 60 per cent reduction in hospital admissions – significantly reducing the number of babies becoming seriously unwell from RSV and lessening the pressure on our health system throughout the busy winter period,' Professor Blyth said. 'I am extremely pleased to see that our research has now translated into a nationwide immunisation program that will benefit so many Australian families,' he said. Play Active is a program being delivered in childcare centres across Australia to boost physical activity in young kids. Despite overwhelming evidence about the importance of physical movement in early childhood, Australia continues to receive a D-minus grade for physical activity levels among young kids – a rating that hasn't improved since 2015. To address this, The Kids Research Institute Australia developed Play Active in partnership with the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. Backed by more than a decade of research, the program provides practical tools and support to educators to embed active play into daily routines. Now in action in over 700 childcare centres, Play Active is set to benefit more than 80,000 children nationwide, helping change the course of Australia's physical activity crisis from the ground up. Head of The Kids Research Institute Australia's Child Physical Activity, Health and Development team Professor Hayley Christian AM said the early years were critical for promoting physical activity. 'Given young children spend a lot of time in childcare, there is a huge opportunity here to increase their physical activity levels, in particular energetic play that gets them huffing and puffing,' Professor Christian said. 'Nutrition, sleep and sun protection policies are required in national ECEC regulations but there is no guidance around how much physical activity, sedentary and screen time children should have while in care.' Since launching nationally last year, Play Active has registered 1000 educators and supported over 170 services to develop tailored active play policies, with research showing the program is delivering strong results. Families who introduce peanut butter and eggs to their baby's diet at around six months of age can significantly reduce the chances of them developing a life-threatening allergy, according to a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – In Practice. Findings from researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia confirm the strength of the updated Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) Infant Feeding and Allergy Prevention Guidelines, giving parents confidence as they begin their feeding journey – even those with a family history of allergies. Head of the Nutrition in Early Life team at The Kids Associate Professor Debbie Palmer said prior to 2016 the advice to parents was very different, with common food allergens generally introduced when babies were closer to 12 months of age or older. It started with folate, but the epochal work continues – often unseen and under-recognised. Even more the reason to talk about it, understand it and support it. From protecting babies from life-threatening viruses like RSV to rolling out national physical activity guidelines in childcare centres, WA scientists continue to shape our health through their commitment to research and advocating for real world change. For more information, visit the website .
West Australian
02-07-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Chance Flowers: Perth boy's battle with Strep A prompts push from The Kids Research Institute for vaccine
Perth researchers are pioneering a world-first study in the battle against a deadly bacterium. Strep A kills half a million people a year globally, but can often be hard to diagnose. A study using tonsils collected from surgery at Perth Children's Hospital will help scientists learn more about it as they work to develop a vaccine. Seven-year-old Chance Flowers is no stranger to tonsillitis. Three years ago, it quickly spiralled into something more sinister. 'It started off as a fever and vomiting that came on very suddenly . . . (but) in the 15 minutes from leaving school and getting to work, he was limp in the back of the car,' mum Jodie Flowers said. Chance's little body was in the grip a deadly infection. Sepsis had settled into his joints. 'It was just like painful, painful, painful,' he said. Ms Flowers said it was missed by two separate doctors. 'His symptoms were really frightening at that point . . . he couldn't stand, he couldn't walk, he was in excruciating pain,' she said. 'They were saying it's normal — it's just a virus, but he was extremely unwell.' His life-threatening symptoms were far from normal, they were being caused by invasive Strep A. The little boy spent two weeks at Perth Children's Hospital and needed surgery. 'Then he spent the rest of the year learning how to walk again,' Ms Flowers said. Jua Iwasaki is part of a team at The Kids Research Institute Australia hoping to stop the sinister bacterial infection in its tracks. 'Strep A is a really common childhood infection,' Dr Iwasaki said. 'It usually causes more mild symptoms . . . but in some children it can lead to these severe illnesses.' When severe, these infections can cause death in a matter of days, sometimes hours. It was the case for seven-year-old Morley girl, Aishwarya Aswath in 2021. Half a million people die from Strep A infections around the world each year. There's no vaccine. But researchers at The Kids Institute are studying real tonsils from surgeries to understand how the bacterium binds to them. 'We're growing them in the lab to be able to test the immune response to the bacteria Strep A and the vaccines we're currently developing,' Dr Iwasaki said. Researchers hope this work won't just lead to a vaccine but to a version tailored for children, like a spray, that's safe, effective, and easy to deliver. 'We might be able to prevent the bacteria from attaching to the tonsils in the first place because all the vaccines that are in development are all injectables,' Dr Iwasaki said. Ms Flowers is hopeful about the 'amazing' research. 'Anything that could stop someone having to go through what Chance went through is incredible,' she said.
Perth Now
02-07-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Perth boy's battle with deadly illness prompts vaccine push
Perth researchers are pioneering a world-first study in the battle against a deadly bacterium. Strep A kills half a million people a year globally, but can often be hard to diagnose. A study using tonsils collected from surgery at Perth Children's Hospital will help scientists learn more about it as they work to develop a vaccine. Seven-year-old Chance Flowers is no stranger to tonsillitis. Three years ago, it quickly spiralled into something more sinister. 'It started off as a fever and vomiting that came on very suddenly . . . (but) in the 15 minutes from leaving school and getting to work, he was limp in the back of the car,' mum Jodie Flowers said. Chance's little body was in the grip a deadly infection. Sepsis had settled into his joints. 'It was just like painful, painful, painful,' he said. Ms Flowers said it was missed by two separate doctors. Chance Flowers in hospital. Credit: 7NEWS / 7NEWS 'His symptoms were really frightening at that point . . . he couldn't stand, he couldn't walk, he was in excruciating pain,' she said. 'They were saying it's normal — it's just a virus, but he was extremely unwell.' His life-threatening symptoms were far from normal, they were being caused by invasive Strep A. The little boy spent two weeks at Perth Children's Hospital and needed surgery. Chance Flowers, 7, pictured with mother Jodie Flowers. Credit: 7NEWS / 7NEWS 'Then he spent the rest of the year learning how to walk again,' Ms Flowers said. Jua Iwasaki is part of a team at The Kids Research Institute Australia hoping to stop the sinister bacterial infection in its tracks. 'Strep A is a really common childhood infection,' Dr Iwasaki said. Dr Jua Iwasaki is part of The Kids Research Institute Australia. Credit: 7NEWS / 7NEWS 'It usually causes more mild symptoms . . . but in some children it can lead to these severe illnesses.' When severe, these infections can cause death in a matter of days, sometimes hours. It was the case for seven-year-old Morley girl, Aishwarya Aswath in 2021. Half a million people die from Strep A infections around the world each year. There's no vaccine. But researchers at The Kids Institute are studying real tonsils from surgeries to understand how the bacterium binds to them. 'We're growing them in the lab to be able to test the immune response to the bacteria Strep A and the vaccines we're currently developing,' Dr Iwasaki said. Researchers hope this work won't just lead to a vaccine but to a version tailored for children, like a spray, that's safe, effective, and easy to deliver. 'We might be able to prevent the bacteria from attaching to the tonsils in the first place because all the vaccines that are in development are all injectables,' Dr Iwasaki said. Ms Flowers is hopeful about the 'amazing' research. 'Anything that could stop someone having to go through what Chance went through is incredible,' she said.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Local weather conditions, access to cities can impact prevalence of tuberculosis, study finds
New Delhi: Researchers who mapped tuberculosis cases in African countries found that local weather conditions and access to cities can influence prevalence of the bacterial disease. The study's methodology of identifying disease patterns could help fight tuberculosis in a more targeted manner around the world -- particularly in regions where resources are limited, they said. Tuberculosis (TB) mostly affects the lungs and can be deadly if untreated. The disease -- symptoms of which include persistent cough, chest pain and fever -- spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Focusing on 14 nations, including Nigeria and Mozambique, the team, including researchers from Curtin University and The Kids Research Institute Australia, analysed prevalence of tuberculosis from 50 population-based surveys, involving over 15 lakh people. The researchers estimated how common the disease is at a local level, breaking each country down into grids, each five square kilometres in area, to identify hotspots. "Here we estimate 1.28 million TB cases across 14 countries, with marked spatial variations," the authors wrote in the study published in the journal Communications Medicine. "Factors such as temperature, precipitation, and access to cities are positively associated with higher TB prevalence, while higher altitude is linked to lower TB prevalence," they wrote. For example, rainfall tends to keep one spends indoors, thereby increasing person-to-person contact, crowding, and affecting ventilation levels -- all of which have been linked to spreading of tuberculosis, the researchers explained. Lead researcher Alemneh Liyew, PhD candidate from Curtin University's school of population health, said the study uncovered dramatic differences in disease burden between local regions within countries -- which could prove vital in reducing the impact of tuberculosis. "This study highlights how factors such as higher temperatures, rainfall, altitude and better access to cities can influence the prevalence of tuberculosis. "With this data, health resources can be better targeted towards the communities that need them most," Liyew said. The study is also the first to provide local-level tuberculosis maps across Africa, the researcher said. "Until now, we haven't been able to see where within countries the disease is most concentrated," Liyew said. Author Kefyalew Alene, associate professor Curtin University, said the study's findings could potentially help fight the disease outside of Africa. "While some aspects of the study are Africa-specific, using mapping to identify patterns associated with tuberculosis could help battle the disease in a more targeted manner elsewhere," Alene said. "One-size-fits-all national strategies aren't as effective, particularly in regions where resources are limited," the researcher said.
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Local weather conditions, access to cities can impact prevalence of tuberculosis, study finds
Researchers who mapped tuberculosis cases in African countries found that local weather conditions and access to cities can influence prevalence of the bacterial disease. The study's methodology of identifying disease patterns could help fight tuberculosis in a more targeted manner around the world -- particularly in regions where resources are limited, they said. Tuberculosis (TB) mostly affects the lungs and can be deadly if untreated. The disease -- symptoms of which include persistent cough, chest pain and fever -- spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Study highlights Focusing on 14 nations, including Nigeria and Mozambique, the team, including researchers from Curtin University and The Kids Research Institute Australia, analysed prevalence of tuberculosis from 50 population-based surveys, involving over 15 lakh people. The researchers estimated how common the disease is at a local level, breaking each country down into grids, each five square kilometres in area, to identify hotspots. "Here we estimate 1.28 million TB cases across 14 countries, with marked spatial variations," the authors wrote in the study published in the journal Communications Medicine. "Factors such as temperature, precipitation, and access to cities are positively associated with higher TB prevalence, while higher altitude is linked to lower TB prevalence," they wrote. For example, rainfall tends to keep one spends indoors, thereby increasing person-to-person contact, crowding, and affecting ventilation levels -- all of which have been linked to spreading of tuberculosis, the researchers explained. Lead researcher Alemneh Liyew, PhD candidate from Curtin University's school of population health, said the study uncovered dramatic differences in disease burden between local regions within countries -- which could prove vital in reducing the impact of tuberculosis. "This study highlights how factors such as higher temperatures, rainfall, altitude and better access to cities can influence the prevalence of tuberculosis. Possibilities of expansion "With this data, health resources can be better targeted towards the communities that need them most," Liyew said. The study is also the first to provide local-level tuberculosis maps across Africa, the researcher said. "Until now, we haven't been able to see where within countries the disease is most concentrated," Liyew said. Author Kefyalew Alene, associate professor Curtin University, said the study's findings could potentially help fight the disease outside of Africa."While some aspects of the study are Africa-specific, using mapping to identify patterns associated with tuberculosis could help battle the disease in a more targeted manner elsewhere," Alene said. "One-size-fits-all national strategies aren't as effective, particularly in regions where resources are limited," the researcher said.
