Infectious Diseases Among Marginalised Populations
Creators: name: Saulo, Dina Raus
Publisher: name: The Australian National University
Year: 2015
Subjects: Aboriginal
Indigenous
Prison
Prisoners
BBV
Blood Borne Viruses
Hep C
HCV
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis B
HBV
Hep B
HPV
Human Papiloma Virus
HPV vaccine

description: From February 2013 to November 2014 I undertook a field placement at the Kirby Institute for Infection and Immunity in Society (the Kirby Institute), as a part of a Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology (MAE). This bound volume is the product of projects undertaken while at the Kirby Institute in the Justice Health Research Program and the Public Health Interventions Research Group. Within are six chapters which demonstrate work undertaken, lessons learnt, knowledge gained and MAE requirements met. Due to my placement predominantly in the justice health research program, three out of four major projects have a focus on blood borne viruses and associated risk factors among offender populations. I evaluated the national prison entrant’s blood borne virus and risk behaviour survey (NPEBBVS), the only multi-jurisdictional prison BBV monitoring mechanism nationally. As a data analysis project I explored hepatitis B core antibody and hepatitis C antibody prevalence and associated risk factors among Indigenous and non-Indigenous prison entrants from the NPEBBVS. Findings from this chapter were presented at a number of conferences and events. As an acute public health problem, I had the opportunity to investigate hepatitis C (HCV) incidence cases in a prison facility. We developed a case series study using mixed methods to collect data on the unusual cluster of HCV cases. I conducted both quantitative and qualitative interviews with participating inmates to gather prisoner’s perspective of HCV incidence, understanding routes of transmission in the prison setting and possible strategies in decreasing exposure and risk. From the start of 2013 I was involved in the ‘vaccine impact in the Indigenous population’ (VIP- I) study with a large group of investigators. The aim of VIP-I was to evaluate the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine among Indigenous women in Australia. My role in the study was as a field coordinator, chapter 5 demonstrates my involvement from the development stage onwards. This chapter is largely methodological, only preliminary results are presented as recruitment is still ongoing. Teaching experience during the MAE included; lessons from the field and a group teaching session with MAE peers. I worked individually on a project management module for the lesson from the field exercise, my fellow MAE cohort completed this module which touched on interdisciplinary collaboration in research. The group teaching experience was created and conducted with two fellow MAE scholars, we built a framework to distinguish real or artificial rate change when interpreting time series data. The projects within this thesis contribute to the Kirby Institutes area of work with marginalised at risk populations. I have been fortunate to be a part of a number of projects that have potential to impact public health policy and programs for both Indigenous and offender populations.