April 2006
Asthma Prevention Trial

Up to 40 per cent of Australian children suffer from allergies and asthma and it is the single most common reason for children to be admitted to hospital. The Division has launched a world first research trial into a treatment that could prevent asthma in high risk children. The treatment, developed by Professors Pat Holt and Peter Sly involves exposing babies and toddlers to tiny doses of common allergens as an oral vaccine to stimulate immune responses which protect against allergy. The children will be given daily drops under the tongue of house dust mite, grass and cat allergen over a 12 month period. They will then be monitored closely for three years. The project is being funded by the US National Institutes of Health. The international research trial will initially involve 200 children in Perth, Melbourne and New York. Later stages will expand to Germany and Sweden.

July 2006
WHO Collaborating Centre for Research on Children’s Environmental Health

The Division of Clinical Sciences has been designated by the World Health Organisation as a Collaborating Centre for Research on Children’s Environmental Health. The designation recognises the work of the Division in understanding the role of the environment in the development of respiratory diseases. The Centre will continue research in this area as well us helping to build research capacity in developing countries, develop educational tools to increase awareness of environmental threats to children and translate research findings into policy and practice.

Centre Brochure

Aims

• To conduct high quality research aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of diseases of environmental origin in children, with special emphasis on respiratory disease (eg respiratory infections, asthma & allergies).

• To build research capacity by fostering collaborations between developed and developing nations.

• To enhance the research capacity of researchers and health care professionals by providing access to high quality education and training.

• To develop programs and curriculum to increase awareness about environmental threats, with special emphasis on respiratory diseases in children.

• To develop methods for translating research findings into public policy and intervention strategies.

Staff

Professor Peter D Sly – Director

Professor Stephen Zubrick – Implementation and Policy Coordinator

Assoc Professor Felicity Flack – Executive Officer

Dr Peter Franklin – Environmental Coordinator

Dr Merci Kusel – Cohort Coordinator

Dr Leith Sly – Education and Training Coordinator

Activities

Graduate Certificate in Children’s Environmental Health

The Centre, in collaboration with Curtin University of Technology, has developed a Graduate Certificate in Children’s Environmental Health which commenced in 2007. The course provides a specialist program in understanding children’s special vulnerability to environmental exposures and their adverse health outcomes. The units are fully online. For further information www.curtin.edu.au or email CEH@curtin.edu.au

Course Brochure

Children’s Environmental Health in Australia: Setting a National Research Agenda

The Centre has received funding from the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth to identify the current Australian research activities in children’s environmental health and to establish a national network to set national priorities in this area and strategies to address the priorities. To contribute to the research inventory contact felicity@ichr.uwa.edu.au.

Children’s Environmental Health Research

The Centre is involved in a range of research projects both nationally and internationally. Local projects include the Childhood Asthma Study, Domestic air quality: towards the setting of guidelines and a study of the relationship between PCBs and the psychological health in children. Internationally the Centre is involved in projects or collaborations in Mexico, Argentina, China, Brazil and the USA.

Links

WHO – Children’s Environmental Health

http://www.who.int/ceh/en/

Pacific Basin Consortium

http://pbc.eastwestcenter.org