The Lancet: Surge of invasive group A strep in Australia
The Lancet recently published a study, analysing data from the Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance (PAEDS) Networks, which shows Australia experienced an intense and unseasonal surge of invasive group A streptococcal disease in 2022.
The national research project involved researchers from Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, including MVEC Director Prof Nigel Crawford.
Read the study in full: Increase in invasive group A streptococcal disease among Australian children coinciding with northern hemisphere surges
Victorian Department of Health: Vaccine error management
The Victorian Department of Health has recently introduced a new immunisation resource on vaccine error management.
The resource includes easy-to-understand information about preventing vaccine errors and the most common vaccine errors, as well as directions for reporting vaccine errors to SAEFVIC (Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination In the Community).
Department of Health: Vaccine error management
Updated reference page: Development and registration of vaccines
Vaccines, like any medication in development, must undergo rigorous testing procedures and scientific evaluation to prove not only their effect on the targeted disease, but also to determine their safety, before being licensed and registered for use in vaccination programs.
Our newly updated Vaccine development and registration page includes information about vaccine clinical trials, post-licensure surveillance, registration and provisional approval, as well as health economics assessments of vaccines.
Updated MVEC: Development and registration of vaccines
AAP FactCheck: No evidence of link between vaccine and ovary damage
MVEC director Professor Nigel Crawford spoke to the Australian Associated Press FactCheck team, addressing claims made about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil®9.
It has been claimed that the HPV vaccine can damage the ovaries and that is has been withdrawn from use in the United States. AAP FactCheck deemed this claim false.
Prof Crawford confirmed there is no evidence to support the claim that the HPV vaccine causes damage to the ovaries. The claim stems from a longstanding myth that the vaccine is associated with premature ovarian failure (POF). "The timing of the HPV vaccine around puberty (12-13 years) has led to some of these concerns (about POF) being raised", Prof Crawford said.
Prof Crawford further confirmed there is no evidence to support claims that the HPV vaccine is linked to seizures.
AAP Factcheck: No evidence of link between vaccine and ovary damage
World Immunization Week 2023
Next week is World Health Organization (WHO) World Immunization Week 2023. To celebrate, MVEC will be sharing a series of social media posts all about vaccines and this year’s theme: The Big Catch-Up.
Celebrated annually, World Immunization Week aims to highlight the collective action needed to protect people from vaccine-preventable diseases.
As a member of WHO’s Vaccine Safety Net (VSN), MVEC proudly supports WHO and the work it does to protect people from vaccine-preventable diseases. The VSN is a global network of websites, verified as a source of reliable and credible vaccine safety information.
To keep up our posts about World Immunization Week and more, follow us on Instagram and Twitter @mvecau and on our Facebook page Melbourne Vaccine Education Centre – MVEC.
We regularly post information and advice covering all kinds of vaccine-related topics. We also share interesting news articles and relevant vaccine updates from trusted sources.
Join the waitlist for our March Immunisation Skills Workshop!
Places in our March Immunisation Skills Workshop have been filled in record time! However, if you should like to join the waitlist please let us know via email at [email protected] .
The Immunisation Skills Workshop will be held on Monday, March 20th. This full day interactive, face to face workshop is MVEC’s newest education opportunity designed to educate and upskill accredited immunisation providers on the principles and processes of managing:
- effective vaccine communication
- error prevention and management
- anaphylaxis and acute stress responses.
In the workshop attendees will hear from immunisation experts and be able to put their learnings into practice through participation in simulated scenarios.
The workshop is not a graded assessment but will account for up to 10 nursing CPD hours and up to 20 points of CPD for pharmacist immunisers (including preparation and reading time).
Venue: The HELP Precinct, The Royal Children’s Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville
Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Cost: $290.00 (including catering)
MVEC holiday period closure
On behalf of the MVEC Team, we wish you a very happy and safe holiday season with your loved ones.
Our team will be taking a break and will return in February to provide you with more vaccine education, resources and events in 2023. We'd love to hear from you if there are any specific vaccine topics you would like to see covered next year!
We also want to say a huge thank you to all our amazing collaborators who have kindly shared their expert knowledge across a number of important vaccine topics and across all of the MVEC platforms this year!
If you’re travelling this holiday season, stay safe, make sure your vaccines are up to date and pack your sunscreen and insect repellent!
Save the date for our next Immunisation Skills Workshop on 20th March 2023!
Following the success of our first Immunisation Skills Workshop, MVEC are pleased to announce the date for our next workshop taking place on Monday, 20th March 2023.
This full day interactive, face to face workshop is MVEC’s newest education opportunity designed to educate and upskill accredited immunisation providers on the principles and processes of managing:
- effective vaccine communication
- error prevention and management
- anaphylaxis and acute stress responses.
In the workshop, attendees will hear from immunisation experts and be able to put their learnings into practice through participation in simulated scenarios.
The workshop is not a graded assessment but will account for up to 10 nursing CPD hours and up to 20 points of CPD for pharmacist immunisers (including preparation and reading time).
Venue: The HELP Precinct, The Royal Children’s Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville
Time: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Cost: $290.00 (including catering)
Registrations will open to the public January 16th, 2023 via our events page.
Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) 2022 - recordings now available
Recordings of the sessions from our recent Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) are now available to access via our MVEC Education Portal Homepage.
To access the recordings, attendees can sign in to our Education Portal using their existing account details or simply create an account if are a new user.
If you did not attend the event but would like to access the recordings, you can purchase access via our Educational Portal.
If you have any questions about our CVU event please contact [email protected].
Register now for CVU 2022!
Don’t forget to register for our annual Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) taking place on Friday 28th October!
Our face-to-face event will provide professional development delivered via keynote sessions and interactive breakouts, as well as the opportunity to connect and network with peers.
Register now and don’t miss this opportunity to hear from leading experts on the latest developments and trends in immunisation!
To view the program and to register, please click on the link below to our Events page:
MVEC: Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) 2022