Background:

The ARIA-RISE project is a collaboration between the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Menzies School of Health Research and Timor-Leste Ministry of Health (MoH).  It aims to provide information about the epidemiology of COVID-19 and other vaccine-preventable diseases by conducting serological surveillance in Timor-Leste.

The project will include three separate research studies, evaluating seroprevalence for SARS-CoV-2 and other vaccine preventable diseases in:

• Healthcare workers
• Residual blood samples from six municipalities in Timor-Leste
• Community members in a population-representative national serosurvey

Aims and objectives:

• Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection assessed over time to inform public health policy to control and mitigate COVID-19 disease and inform potential COVID-19 immunisation strategies in Timor-Leste.
• Technical capacity to undertake serology at the Timor-Leste National Health Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and select vaccine preventable diseases is increased.
• The prevalence of immunity to select vaccine preventable diseases, including measles, rubella and hepatitis B, assessed to inform immunisation program policy and implementation

Chief investigators:

• Associate Professor Josh Francis
• Dr Jennifer Yan
• Dr Nelson Martins
• Nevio Sarmento
• Celia Santos
• Paul Arkell

Project manager:

• Stacey Kopf

Project dates:

The project commenced in January 2021 and is due for completion in June 2022.

Funders:

• Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Collaborators: 

• ARIA: Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance
• Timor-Leste Ministry of Health (MoH)
• National Institute of Health (INS)
• National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS)
• University of Sydney
• Integrated Crisis Management Centre (CIGC)
• World Health Organization (WHO)

1. Arkell, P., Gusmao, C., Sheridan, C, L., Tanesi, M, Y., Gomes, N., Oakley, T., Wapling, J., Alves, L., Kopf, S., Sarmento, N., Da Costa Barreto, I., Amaral, S., Draper, A., Coelho, D., Guterres, H., Salles, A., Machado, F., Fancourt, N., Yan, J., Marr, I., Macartney, K., & Francis, J, R. (2022).  Serological surveillance of healthcare workers to evaluate natural infection- and vaccine-derived immunity to SARS-CoV-2 during an outbreak in Dili, Timor-Leste. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 119, June 2022, Pages 80-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2022.03.043.
2. Francis, J. R., Sarmento, N., Draper, A., Marr, I., Ting, S., Fancourt, N., Alves, L., Champlin, K., Bongers, A., & Yan, J. (2020). Antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use in Timor-Leste: building surveillance capacity with a One Health approach. Communicable diseases intelligence, 44. https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2020.44.1
3. Harris, L., Bongers, A., Yan, J., Francis, J,R., Marr, I., Lake, S.,& Martins, S.(2021). Estimates of Antibacterial Consumption in Timor-Leste Using Distribution Data and Variation in Municipality Usage Patterns. 2021, 10, 1468. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10121468.
4. Ting, S., Pereira, A., Alves, A. d. J., Fernandes, S., Soares, C. d. C., Soares, F. J., . . . Jong, J. B. d. C. (2021). Antimicrobial Use in Animals in Timor-Leste Based on Veterinary Antimicrobial Imports between 2016 and 2019. Antibiotics, 10(4), 426. doi:10.3390/antibiotics10040426.
5. Ting, S., Pereira, A., Davis, S., Vong da Silva, P. G., Alves, A., Dos Santos, C., . . . Barnes, T. S. (2022). Knowledge and Practices on Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance Among Smallholder Pig Farmers in Timor-Leste. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8(1585). doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.819643.
6. Oakley, T., Marr, I.,Townell, N., Heney, C., Jackson, W., Evans, M., Hall, B., Allen, C., Haw, K., & Ferguson, J.(2021). Pacific Regional Infectious Disease Association (PRIDA): capacity-building for microbiology and infectious disease across the Pacific. MICROBIOLOGY AUSTRALIA, 2021, 42, 182–186 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA21051.
7. Marr, I., Sarmento, N., O’Brien, M., Lee, K., Gusmao, C., de Castro, G., Janson, S., Tong, S.Y.C., Baird, R.W. & Francis, J.R. (2017). Antimicrobial resistance in urine and skin isolates in Timor-Leste. Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance, 13: 135-138.
8. Tebano, G., La Martire, G., Sarmento, N. & Francis, J.R. (2018). Antibiotic resistance in Timor-Leste: a systematic review of evidence. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 73(4): 1110-1111.

• Fleming Fund Country Grant to Timor-Leste
• STRONG-TL - disease control in Timor-Leste
• MATCH TL - strengthen diagnosis and surveillance of infectious diseases in Timor-Leste