Old Foes, New Challenges: Applied Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases

Abstract

This thesis details projects undertaken during my field placement at the Burnet Institute and on secondment to the Victorian Department of Health, from February 2023 to December 2024. The Burnet Institute is a medical research institute and an accredited international non-government organisation that specialises in global health. At the Burnet, I worked with the Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination and Implementation Science group, which has been conducting an enhanced public health response to reduce the incidence of TB in Daru Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG). I also worked with the STRIVE project group, which aims to strengthen vector-borne disease surveillance systems in PNG. In mid-2023 I started work within the Communicable Diseases Section in the Health Protection Branch of the Victorian Department of Health. My projects are comprised of: an evaluation of the TB surveillance system, the Bahmni electronic medical records system (EMRS), on Daru Island in PNG; an interrupted-time series analysis exploring the effectiveness of indoor residual spraying on malaria cases in New Ireland, PNG; and an outbreak investigation of invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS) in Victoria from 2022-2023 to characterise and describe the increase in notifications. The thesis also details other activities undertaken during my placement such as teaching peers during lessons from the field sessions and first year MAE students during course block. These projects and activities fulfil the competencies of the Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology at the Australian National Universit