Lumen Winter 2015 - Flipbook - Page 14
stor y by Ren ée Cap p s
Improving protection
for our most vulnerable children
Children are the most vulnerable in society for disease and infection.
While vaccines have been developed to prevent the spread of many diseases,
there are still children who are at risk from not being vaccinated.
A
ssociate Professor Helen Marshall
and her team at the Robinson
Research Institute want to change
this and achieve a vaccination rate of 98
per cent in Australia.
Helen is a Senior Research Fellow at the
Robinson Research Institute and Senior
Medical Practitioner at the Women’s and
Children’s Hospital. Her main area of
research is testing the safety and effectiveness of new vaccines, with a particular
focus on the groups most vulnerable to
severe disease and complications from
vaccine preventable diseases, including
pregnant women and infants.
This is a particular area of interest for Helen
with a recent appointment to the World
Health Organisation Task Force established
to investigate the safety and effectiveness
of vaccines for pregnant women.
A recently completed National Health
and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
funded study by Helen’s research group the
Vaccinology and Immunology Research Unit
in collaboration with interstate investigators,
is examining whether vaccinating babies
against whooping cough when they are
born will provide better protection against
this life-threatening infection. In the largest
study of its kind in the world, 440 babies
took part in a clinical trial with the results
now being analysed to determine whether
it should be implemented in national
immunisation programs.
“Babies are vaccinated from six to eight
weeks of age, so there is still a period when
children are susceptible, not only because
they are not vaccinated themselves but
also because newborns are at higher risk
of severe disease from infections such as
whooping cough,” said Helen.
Another strategy to protect infants
against whooping cough is to vaccinate
the mother while she is pregnant.
12 Lumen | Winter 2015
Immunising pregnant women provides
protection through the transfer of
antibodies to her newborn. This has
already been effective in reducing infant
deaths in the UK where the program
was successfully implemented.
“We hope that vaccinating pregnant
women or vaccinating babies at birth
could provide the best protection against
infections such as whooping cough while
infants are at most risk.”
With a long history with the University of
Adelaide, Helen completed her Bachelor
of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in
1988. She returned to the University to
complete her Masters of Public Health
degree in 2004 and was awarded her
Doctorate of Medicine in 2011.
She became interested in child and public
health after completing her fifth-year year
medical elective in Western Samoa.
“I was working on a paediatric ward and
had the chance to investigate and manage
children with infectious diseases. I applied
to do paediatrics when I got back to
Australia and was given the opportunity to
work in vaccine research – I was hooked!”
In another study, Helen and her team are
investigating if they can increase the uptake
and timeliness of immunisation using social
media. Approximately seven to eight
per cent of parents don’t complete their
children’s immunisations despite believing
they should. There are a variety of reasons
from lack of resources and disadvantage,
busy lifestyles with other priorities, living in
remote locations or simply forgetting.
The program is called VAXSMS and it is
trialling an SMS reminder application and
reminder calendars to prompt parents
when it is time to vaccinate. The study is
particularly focused on improving timeliness
and completion of immunisation for
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
Helen sees this as a simple and hopefully
effective way to increase the rate of
vaccinations in vulnerable young infants.
“I get excited about exploring the
different ways we can improve immunisation,
particularly for children who are missing
out on the best protection we can provide,
and I also see this as a way of improving
protection for the whole community.”
Helen says it is only a small proportion of
people who do not support immunisation,
around one per cent, although on a
population level this translates to a lot of
children who remain unprotected. She
says the exciting thing about immunisation
is that every time a child is vaccinated,
they are not only protecting themselves
against disease, but every person they
come into contact with by reducing the
chance of spreading infection.
“Immunisation is a community
responsibility. In our current individualistic
society it is one way we can help
ourselves while helping others around
us and improve protection for both our
children and the community.”
The Robinson Research Institute is a
collective of internationally renowned
researchers in human reproduction,
pregnancy and child health at the
University of Adelaide. Their focus is
to improve the health and well-being of
children and families in Australia
and around the world.
The Robinson Research Institute
relies on the generosity of the
community to fund priority research
projects. To learn more please visit
www.adelaide.edu.au/robinson-research-institute
Right: Associate Professor Helen Marshall
