Search

The Targeted Call for Research: Commercial determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health 2023 grant opportunity aims to conduct innovative, ground-breaking research that recognise and adjust for the interplay between social, cultural, economic, and commercial determinants of health and how it positively or negatively influences health outcomes.

The aim of implementing this call is to provide funding for rigorous, culturally informed research into maintaining and improving the social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and fostering wellness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

The aim of implementing the call was to provide funding for rigorous, culturally informed research into the health and experience of ageing in the older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

NHMRC opened a Targeted Call for Research (TCR) into Debilitating Symptom Complex Attributed to Ticks on 30 May 2018. Given the public interest in the call following the Senate Inquiry and the government’s response to fund further research on this issue, NHMRC decided to re-open the call to accept additional applications to ensure that a breadth of the highest quality research is funded. The extended call for applications closed on 29 August 2018.

The aim of implementing this call was to encourage research that will address how frail persons can be supported to avoid hospitalisations, receive optimal care when admitted, and achieve the best health outcomes, through integrated and coordinated in-and post-hospital interventions.

Asthma is a condition that affects the lungs, causing the airways to become inflamed and narrow. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, tightness in the chest and feeling out of breath. People with asthma can experience flares, which are sometimes called an asthma attack. Flares can be serious and require hospital treatment.

Campylobacter infection is a type of gastroenteritis (or 'gastro') caused by Campylobacter bacteria. Symptoms usually start a few days after infection, and include stomach cramps, diarrhoea (sometimes with blood in it), fever, nausea and vomiting. It may cause dehydration, which can be dangerous for young children.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus and are very common. About 20% of children will have been infected by the age of 5 years, and about 80% of people will have been infected by the time they are adults. Once a person is infected, the virus can reactivate and cause new cold sores throughout life. Cold sores usually start with a tingling or burning sensation on or around the lips, followed by the appearance of small, painful blisters. The blisters break, form a scab and then heal, usually without leaving a scar. Cold sores usually last 3 to 7 days. Cold sores can appear on the eye if the person touches an active cold sore and then touches their eye. Although this is rare, any child with a painful red eye should be seen by a doctor.

Colds are the most common cause of sickness in both children and adults. Symptoms include a runny or blocked nose, sneezing and coughing, watery eyes, headache, sore throat and a possible slight fever.Children in education and care services can have as many as 8 to 12 colds a year. However, by the time they are 3 years old, children who attend a service have no more colds than those who are cared for only at home.

Conjunctivitis is an eye condition where the clear membrane that covers the white part of the eye and lines the inner surface of the eyelids (the conjunctiva) becomes red and swollen. People can also be sensitive to bright lights. The most common causes of infection, allergy and irritation. Only infectious conjunctivitis can spread to others.Infectious conjunctivitis can be caused by bacteria or viruses. Bacterial conjunctivitis may start in one eye, but almost always involves both eyes. There is likely to be a gritty feeling and thick white, yellow or green pus. Viral conjunctivitis may have a thinner, clear discharge. It may involve one or both eyes, making them red, itchy and watery.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by infection with a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. Common symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. Other symptoms include fatigue, loss of taste or smell, and congestion or runny nose. COVID-19 is usually milder in children than in adults.

Croup is a viral infection that causes a harsh, barking cough and noisy breathing because the voicebox (larynx) and airways are inflamed and swollen. It often starts out like a common cold, with symptoms such as fever and runny nose, but then progresses to a cough that sounds like a seal or a barking dog. It usually affects children aged between 6 months and 3 years old, but can occur in other age groups. It is rare in adults because their airways are larger.

Cryptosporidiosis is a type of gastroenteritis (or 'gastro') caused by a parasite called Cryptosporidium. Symptoms include stomach pain; feeling sick; vomiting; and foul-smelling and watery diarrhoea. Symptoms can last up to 2 weeks. It is more common in the warmer months and is sometimes associated with swimming pools that have been contaminated by a person with the infection.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common viral infection, particularly in young children. In Australia, about 50% of young adults have been infected. Once a person is infected, they can carry the virus for the rest of their lives, even if they do not have any symptoms. Sometimes the virus can be reactivated, usually when the person has another sickness or is stressed, and may then cause symptoms.Healthy children and adults do not usually develop symptoms when they are infected, but some may show symptoms that are similar to glandular fever (for example, tiredness, sore throat, swollen glands and fever).

Middle ear infections (also called otitis media) are common in young children. An ear infection can cause pain, fever and temporary hearing loss. It can be caused by bacteria or viruses, and often appears after a cold. Occasionally the eardrum may perforate, and you may see fluid coming from the child's ear.Outer ear infections (otitis externa) occur on the outside of the eardrum, involving the ear canal. They are often associated with swimming.Rarely, a middle ear infection may spread to the mastoid bone behind the ear, causing mastoiditis. The area behind the ear will be red, and the ear lobe will stick out. A child with these symptoms should see a doctor as soon as possible - this is a serious infection.Most children will have occasional ear infections that are not serious and resolve quickly. Children who have recurrent ear infections may develop 'glue ear' - when the middle ear is filled with a sticky fluid that looks similar to honey. This may last for many weeks or months and makes it harder for the child to hear.

Eye discharge refers to a sticky or runny fluid coming from the eyes that is not tears. It is normal to wake up with some discharge in the corner of the eye, and this is not a concern.Sometimes eye discharge is a sign of other conditions, such as conjunctivitis (see conjunctivitis fact sheet) or blocked tear ducts. Blocked tear ducts in babies often improve without treatment by the age of 1 year.Conjunctivitis can be caused by a virus or bacteria (called infectious conjunctivitis), a reaction to something in the eye, or an allergy. Infectious conjunctivitis can cause:watery or white discharge (viral conjunctivitis)yellow or green sticky discharge that can make it hard to open the eye (bacterial conjunctivitis).

Fifth disease is a common viral infection that usually causes a mild illness in children.About 20% of infected children will have no symptoms. In others, symptoms include mild fever and muscle aches, followed 2 to 5 days later by a red rash on the face (hence the name 'slapped cheek syndrome') and a lacy red rash on the trunk and limbs. The rash can sometimes be itchy. It will usually disappear after 7 to 10 days, but can come and go for several weeks, often reappearing in response to heat.Fifth disease is a type of parvovirus. Animals such as cats and dogs can have other types of parvovirus infections, but they cannot catch human parvovirus from people, and they cannot pass their parvovirus infections to people.

Tinea is a common fungal infection of the skin that is usually found in moist, warm parts of the body, such as between the toes, but can also infect skin on other parts of the body. The condition looks different depending on where it is. On the head or body, it causes a rash called ringworm. Ringworm is not caused by a worm.

The germ commonly known as staph (Staphylococcus aureus) is often found on the skin and in the nose and throat of healthy people. It generally causes no problems or disease, but sometimes it can cause infections. If the staph germs enter the body through damaged skin, they can cause skin infections such as impetigo (school sores), boils and abscesses. Sometimes they get into the blood and cause blood poisoning (septicaemia).Staph can also cause food poisoning and lung infection (pneumonia).Staph is sometimes mentioned in the media when it causes outbreaks of infections in hospitals or in the community. Outbreaks can sometimes be caused by a type of staph known as MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. MRSA is not more infectious, but it can be more difficult to treat because it is resistant to some common antibiotics.