What are the Aboriginal worldviews of disability in the Fitzroy Valley? Aboriginal Participatory Action Research to develop strategies for decolonising disability services.

Objectives: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disability have unequal access to health and disability support services. The impacts of colonialism and the deficit-based, Western medical model of disability have been identified as barriers to services in remote Aboriginal communities. This study explored different perceptions of disability and identified strategies to help bridge the gap between Aboriginal community members in the Fitzroy Valley and Western health and disability support services.

Health and well-being of children and adolescents living in the Kimberley region of Western Australia: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Aboriginal people in the Kimberley are concerned that scientific research, government Inquiries and Royal Commissions are not adequately informing policy and service design. In this protocol paper, we outline our proposed scoping review to identify and provide a broad overview of scientific literature regarding the health, well-being, mental health, disability, education and social outcomes of children and adolescents living in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and the recommendations that came from them.

Methods And Analysis: This scoping review is guided by Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) methodological framework.

Co-designing a place-based social and emotional wellbeing service model with young Aboriginal people in the remote Fitzroy Valley of Western Australia: the Bigiswun Kid project.

Objectives: The current study aimed to work with young Aboriginal people from the very remote Fitzroy Valley in Western Australia to (1) identify their social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) support needs, and (2) report how they would like these supports delivered.

Methods: We interviewed 83% ( = 94) of young people aged 16-19 from the Fitzroy Valley and 89% ( = 101) of their parents. Using anf Aboriginal Participatory Action Approach, we piloted some SEWB supports and worked with 10 young people to co-design the SEWB service.

Models of care for Indigenous children in rural and remote settings: A global scoping review.

Indigenous communities internationally have demonstrated remarkable strength despite significant challenges. Health disparities among Indigenous peoples persist due to historical injustices and ongoing racial discrimination, not inherent vulnerabilities. Disparities are rooted in a legacy of colonisation, systemic exclusion, and socio-economic inequities impacting access to healthcare, education, and employment.

Assessing Psychological Harms on Parents and Primary Caregivers of Children Living with a Rare Disease: A Systematic Review of the Scope and Validity of Surveys Utilized.

Rare childhood diseases can impose significant burden on the lives of affected children, their parents or primary caregivers, and their families. Evaluating the extent and scope of this burden is vital to yield reliable data to inform better support for families. The aim of this systematic review was to identify specific surveys and questionnaires used to assess the psychological harms of rare diseases on parents/primary caregivers and families, and to summarize the harms described by studies that have administered these surveys.

The impact of prenatal alcohol exposure on sleep outcomes in 10,336 young adolescents: An Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

Study Objectives: This study investigated the associations between prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), including low and moderate levels of exposure, and sleep outcomes in adolescence. This is an area that remains understudied despite evidence linking PAE to poor sleep in younger children and the growing recognition of harms associated with low levels of PAE.

Methods: Participants were 10,336 adolescents (aged 12-13) from the fourth assessment wave of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.

Estimating the Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Australia.

Introduction: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and characterised by severe neurodevelopmental impairment. Australian studies have reported PAE prevalence of between 14% and 78% of births. Estimating national FASD prevalence in the general population using gold-standard active case ascertainment is costly and time-consuming, and alternative approaches are required.

Longitudinal exploration of the delivery of care following a successful antenatal practice change intervention.

Introduction: This is a secondary analysis of a stepped-wedge trial. The sustainment of evidence-based care is essential for ongoing population benefits. In a randomized stepped-wedge controlled trial of public maternity services across three health sectors in New South Wales, Australia, we demonstrated a positive practice change related to addressing alcohol use during pregnancy.

Immunization status of children with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional hospital-based study in Vietnam.

Aim: To describe the immunization status of children with CP in Vietnam and identify factors associated with vaccine non-uptake in this group.

Methods: We conducted an active prospective case ascertainment of children with cerebral palsy (CP) attending the National Children's Hospital in Hanoi between June to November 2017, following the model proposed by the Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance system in Australia. All children were assessed by trained paediatricians at the hospital and their immunization history was recorded.

Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) Annual Surveillance Report 2023.

The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU) has been conducting prospective national surveillance of rare communicable diseases, and complications of communicable diseases, of childhood and infancy for more than three decades. In 2023, there were 15 communicable diseases and complications of communicable diseases under APSU surveillance, which included: acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), dengue, severe acute hepatitis (SAH), neonatal and infant herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, perinatal exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and paediatric HIV infection, severe complications of influenza, juvenile-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (JoRRP), Q fever, congenital rubella infection/syndrome, congenital varicella syndrome (CVS) and neonatal varicella infection (NVI), as well as two new communicable diseases, which were paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection. The results of 2023 APSU surveillance show a marked increase in severe influenza cases for the first time in five years, with more complications associated with influenza type B.

Low to Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Facial Shape of Children at Age 6 to 8 Years.

Importance: In addition to confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure and severe neurodevelopmental deficits, three cardinal facial features are included in the diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. It is not understood whether subtle facial characteristics occur in children without a diagnosis but who were exposed to a range of common pregnancy drinking patterns and, if so, whether these persist throughout childhood.

Objective: To determine whether subtle changes in facial shape with prenatal alcohol exposure found in 12-month-old children were evident at age 6 to 8 years using extended phenotyping methods and, if so, whether facial characteristics were similar to those seen in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations Leading the Way in Child Health Research.

Historically, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research in Australia has adhered to Western research paradigms and contributed to the adverse impacts of colonisation. However, recent developments driven by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and scholars, and development of ethical guidelines for research, have promoted a more inclusive and collaborative research landscape. In this study, published papers and internal documents arising from a long-term partnership between Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre (MWRC) and the University of Sydney (USYD) from 2009 to 2023 were analysed using the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool and consultations with project partners.

Button battery exposure in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There is a rising burden of severe and fatal outcomes resulting from button battery exposures (ingestions or insertions). We summarised current evidence following button battery exposures in children and provided pooled prevalence estimates for key clinical characteristics, complications and risk estimates for predictors.

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus databases were searched up to 19 May 2023.

Early moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and maternal diet impact offspring DNA methylation across species.

Alcohol consumption in pregnancy can affect genome regulation in the developing offspring but results have been contradictory. We employed a physiologically relevant murine model of short-term moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) resembling common patterns of alcohol consumption in pregnancy in humans. Early moderate PAE was sufficient to affect site-specific DNA methylation in newborn pups without altering behavioural outcomes in adult littermates.

Complications of button battery ingestion or insertion in children: a systematic review and pooled analysis of individual patient-level data.

Background: Button battery (BB) exposures are common in children and can have devastating consequences. We reviewed current evidence on the complications associated with BB exposure and identified predictors of outcomes using individual patient-level data.

Data Sources: We carried out a systematic review and pooled analysis by searching MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus up to May 19, 2023.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder resources for health professionals: a scoping review.

Objectives: This scoping review aimed to identify and critically appraise resources for health professionals to identify, diagnose, refer, and support individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)-including the extent to which the resources are appropriate for use in communities with First Nations Peoples.

Method: Seven peer-reviewed databases (April 2022) and 14 grey literature websites (August 2022) were searched. The reference lists of all sources that underwent full-text review were handsearched, and FASD experts were consulted for additional sources.

Formulating policies and procedures for managing diving related deaths: a whole of state engagement from frontline and hospital services in Tasmania.

Introduction: Tasmania is a small island state off the southern edge of Australia where a comparatively high proportion of the 558,000 population partake in recreational or occupational diving. While diving is a relatively safe sport and occupation, Tasmania has a significantly higher diving death rate per head of population than other States in Australia (four times the national diving mortality rate).

Methods: Three compressed gas diving deaths occurred in seven months between 2021-2022 prompting a review of the statewide approach for the immediate response of personnel to diving-related deaths.

Improving knowledge of rare disorders since 1993: the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit.

The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU), established in 1993 to address the paucity of national data on rare childhood disorders, has become an invaluable research resource. It facilitates prospective, active surveillance for a variety of rare disorders, with monthly reporting by ~1500 paediatricians, who are invited to notify incident cases and provide demographic and clinical data. APSU is highly collaborative (used by >400 individuals/organisations), patient-informed and productive (>300 publications).

Ophthalmic Findings in Aboriginal Children with High Rates of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: The Lililwan Project.

Purpose: To describe ophthalmic findings in an Indigenous paediatric population and the associations between fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), and eye anomalies.

Methods: Medical records were reviewed for eye problems, and eye assessments were conducted by an orthoptist or ophthalmologist in the Lililwan Project cohort, which comprised 108 (81%) of all children born between 2002 and 2003, and residing in the remote Fitzroy Valley, Western Australia in 2010. Values from ophthalmic assessments and prevalence of abnormalities were presented for the total cohort and stratified by group: FASD; PAE (no FASD); and No PAE.

Associations between low-moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and brain development in childhood.

Background: The effects of low-moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on brain development have been infrequently studied.

Aim: To compare cortical and white matter structure between children aged 6 to 8 years with low-moderate PAE in trimester 1 only, low-moderate PAE throughout gestation, or no PAE.

Methods: Women reported quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy.

Low to moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and neurodevelopment in a prospective cohort of early school aged children.

Evidence is strong for adverse fetal effects of high level or chronic prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), but many pregnant women continue to drink at lower levels. The 'Asking Questions about Alcohol in pregnancy' prospective cohort aimed to determine the neurodevelopmental consequences at 6-8 years of age of low to moderate PAE. 1570 women from seven public antenatal clinics in Melbourne, Australia, provided information on frequency and quantity of alcohol use, and obstetric, lifestyle and socio-environmental confounders at four gestation timepoints.

Demystifying the global outbreak of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The sudden outbreak of severe acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology (SAHUA) in the first half of 2022 affected more than 1010 children in 35 countries worldwide. Dire clinical outcomes, such as acute liver failure necessitating transplantation, neurological symptoms, long-term sequelae, and death, highlight the need to determine the pathogenesis of this condition. Hypotheses on the aetiology include adenovirus and SARS-CoV-2 infections and an aberrant immune response to multiple pathogen exposure following lifting of lockdown measures but further investigation is required to reach an informed consensus.

Erratum to Commun Dis Intell (2018) 2023;47. (https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2023.47.46).

The text within this report, as originally published, incorrectly stated that the two included cases of dengue had not recently travelled to a dengue-endemic country. A reexamination of the case data has shown that both cases had recently travelled to a country where dengue is endemic. The paragraph below provides the corrected text for the dengue case descriptions, and replaces the paragraph at the foot of the right-hand column of text on page 10 of the published report.