IDIE Media
IDIE’s experts and research being featured in various media.
Featured
World Immunization Week 2025
Immunisation outreach clinic in Vientiane Province, Lao PDR It’s almost the end of World Immunization Week and it’s the current climate its now more than ever important to celebrate the successes of immunization programs. I personally have also been working in the...
IDIE Updates, Media, and Podcasts
Global aid cuts are putting health outcomes in the region at risk. Is this the most critical gap Australia should fill and how?
IDIE's Associate Professor Meru Sheel spoke to the Development Intelligence Lab's The Intel highlighting the significant yet often overlooked impact of global aid cuts on health systems in the Indo-Pacific region. While these cuts may be smaller in scale compared to...
Measles cases are surging globally. Should children be vaccinated earlier?
IDIE's Associate Professor Meru Sheel, together with Associate Professor Anita Heywood (UNSW) discusses the alarming global resurgence of measles, highlighting a 20% increase in cases in 2023 due to declining vaccination rates and immunity gaps exacerbated by the...
Enhancing Electronic Immunisation Register: Insights from Lao PDR
In October 2024, A/Prof Meru Sheel, Cyra Patel, and Dr Gemma Saravanos travelled to Vientiane to present the findings from an Evaluation of the Lao Electronic Immunisation Register to the Lao Government, Ministry of Health and the National Immunisation Programme. ...
Measles: How Worried Should We Be?
Measles is making a troubling comeback in the U.S., with over 700 confirmed cases reported across 25 states so far in 2025. While some online debates downplay the severity, the reality is that measles is one of the most contagious viruses known, and nearly all recent...
COVID is still around and a risk to vulnerable people. What are the symptoms in 2025? And how long does it last?
In 2025, COVID-19 continues to pose a risk, especially to vulnerable populations such as the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and those with chronic conditions. While most people now experience only mild symptoms—like fever, cough, sore throat, and runny...
The first Pacific study on vaccine access for children with disability
Research conducted by the IDIE played a key role in a groundbreaking study in Fiji, which uncovered lower vaccination rates among children with disabilities. These findings are now guiding national policy reforms aimed at enhancing inclusion and improving access to...
Electronic Immunisation Registers: Challenges and Strategies toImplementation – A Cross-Regional Learning Resource from Linked StudyTour and Webinar
In October 2023, the IDIE team together with the Linked Immunisation Action Network hosted country teams from Bhutan, Laos, Indonesia, and Vietnam for a study tour of the Australian Electronic Immunisation Registry (EIR). The study tour was undertaken to investigate...
Health institutions applaud $620M injection for strong and resilient health systems in the Pacific and Southeast Asia
An alliance of Australia’s leading health and development institutions has applauded the Australian Government’s $620 million boost for health systems in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. This alliance includes the Australia Council for International Development...
Olivia Cheung’s internship at IDIE
As part of my second summer in the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Program, I joined the Infectious Diseases, Immunizations, and Emergencies (IDIE) research group based at the Sydney School of Public Health, the University of Sydney, Australia as a student researcher....
Strengthening immunisation data and vaccine uptake in Lao PDR using electronic immunisation registers
The IDIE team have been working on an ARIA funded project, aimed to to identify opportunities to improve the implementation and ongoing use of the registry as part of the national immunisation program in Lao PDR. This project aligns closely with the World Health...
Profile pieces
Profile pieces
Profile, Women in STEM on the lessons from an unprecedented year, Women’s Agenda (https://bit.ly/3z8A8ry), 2020 Profile, Canberra’s Dr Meru Sheel, an infectious diseases expert on the virtual frontline (https://bit.ly/3geYsPU), 2020 Profile, Johnson...