Applied Epidemiology of Communicable Diseases in Australia

Abstract

Hunter New England Population Health is responsible for the delivery of population health services to the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) region of New South Wales. From February 2019 to December 2020 I undertook my MAE field placement in the Health Protection Team. This thesis presents the projects undertaken during this field placement. My projects comprise of: an investigation of the first equine case of Hendra virus in the Hunter Valley region; investigation of a measles outbreak in fully vaccinated adults in HNELHD; an epidemiological study of measles-specific antibody levels in Australian blood plasma donors; a data analysis of invasive group A streptococcal laboratory specimens in HNELHD from 2008 to 2019; and a surveillance evaluation and epidemiological study of invasive meningococcal disease mortality in NSW from 2009 to 2018. This thesis also describes other public health activities undertaken during this time, including: contribution to the HNELHD COVID-19 pandemic response; supporting the Field Epidemiology Training Program of Papua New Guinea (FETPNG); assisting with responses to notifiable conditions and public health concerns in HNELHD; and teaching of University of Newcastle medical students and other MAE scholars. These projects and experiences fulfil the core requirements of the Australian National University Master of Philosophy (Applied Epidemiology) program. Show more