Join a research trial

The Children's Research Centre is continually looking for members of the public to participate in our research studies. By donating your time to further medical science, you are making an important and lasting contribution to the fight against childhood illness.

Current opportunities to volunteer

Whooping cough vaccine study for newborn babies

The Children's Research Centre and the Women's and Children's Hospital are seeking healthy newborn babies less than five days old to participate in a whooping cough vaccine trial.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial respiratory infection characterised by severe coughing. The disease derives its name from the "whooping" sound made by the sudden inhalation of air after each cough.

At present, whooping cough vaccines are first given to babies when they are between six and eight weeks of age. Unfortunately, babies under six weeks of age are still at risk of developing the infection, and hospitalisation and death from whooping cough is still occurring in Australia.

The aim of this study is to see if giving babies the whooping cough vaccine earlier than six weeks of age means that they have less risk of being infected than infants who follow the routine schedule.

You and your child's participation will help determine whether giving babies the pertussis vaccine at birth will close their window of risk and better protect them from infection by evoking an earlier immune response.

To find out more about what participation will mean for your and your family, please read the attached vaccine study brochure or contact one of our research staff in the Vaccinology and Immunology Research Trials Unit on (08) 8161 6328.