The burden of vaccine preventable infectious diseases in residential aged care facilities: developing an active enhanced regional surveillance in Central Queensland

Infectious diseases are a major cause of mortality and morbidity among the highly susceptible elderly residents of aged care facilities (RACFs). The burden of vaccine preventable diseases (VPD) among vulnerable older residents of RACFs is high. However, there is lack of quality data from population based prospective VPD surveillance in RACFs. The increasing burden of potentially vaccine preventable diseases (e.g. influenza, pneumococcal, pertussis and varicella-zoster) during last decade necessitates the establishment of an active surveillance system that will provide crucial real-time evidence based data to devise strategies to reduce the infectious disease burden in RACFs. With the recent surge of COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent devastating consequences reflecting high attack and case fatality rate among residents living in the congregate settings of RACFs. A systematic enhanced prospective surveillance will be implemented within the Central Queensland (CQ) region including the residents of RACFs. Over the period of prospective surveillance, this preventative model will generate evidence based information regarding disease etiologies, measure incidence and risk characteristics and explore potential solutions to mitigate the vaccine preventable disease burden in this vulnerable population. This information is essential for optimizing clinical and public health policy and practice. The proposed prospective model would identify the exact number of notifiable infectious disease cases in RACF within the CQ region. This identification will eventually prompt outbreak responses, where appropriate, and implementation of immediate preventative measures, such as early lockdown of the facility, isolation and infection control. Furthermore, this will inform intermediate and long-term indicators for the burden of notifiable infectious diseases; vaccine coverage in RACF, the rate of specific infectious diseases, targets for immunization etc. Data generated on the projects will be analyzed with statistical software and research findings will be reported through descriptive and inferential approach. The determination of predictors and characteristics will prepare to devise the regional and national strategies to reduce the disease burden among elderly individuals of the community. Another important component of the prospective project is to explore and investigate economic impact of existing surveillance system with the newly implemented active enhanced that will inform policy makers and stakeholders. All the findings will generate valuable evidence to adopt necessary actions to replicate such preventive model in similar regional territories and high-income countries.