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:
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)
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.