WHAT WE DO
SPECTRUM (Supporting Participatory Evidence Generation to Control Transmissible Disease in our Region Using Modelling) is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHRMC) Centre of Research Excellence (CRE), funded from 2019 to 2024.
SPECTRUM’s vision is to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases in Australia and our region.
There is a disproportionate burden of infectious diseases in impoverished areas, which persist because of weak health systems and infrastructure. SPECTRUM aims to reduce this burden using sustainable, participatory and model-driven approaches.
SPECTRUM CRE will:
- Produce needed evidence for infectious disease control using models and other quantitative tools.
- Undertake regional risk assessments for emerging diseases like Ebola and COVID-19.
- Frame a proportionate response in the Australian Health Management Pan for Pandemic Influence, including early impact assessment and strategic use of health system resources.
- Promote optimal scheduling of pertussis vaccines on the National Immunisation Program.
- Plan an effective response to the drug-resistant tuberculosis crisis in Daru, Papua New Guinea.
- Identify latent tuberculosis treatment as the most effective measure of tuberculosis control, including in low-income, high incidence countries, leading to international (WHO) policy change.
HOW WE WORK
SPECTRUM CRE focuses on four key themes in infectious disease prevention and control:
- Endemic infections (scabies)
- Emerging infectious diseases (COVID-19, pandemic influenza)
- Constraining the emergence of and selection for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR - multidrug resistant tuberculosis)
- Reducing the risk and burden of vector-borne diseases (malaria)
This will be achieved using The Structured Decision-Making Framework:
