​​​Conference theme

In 2025 the Conference theme will be:
‘Future directions for immunisation and communicable disease control: embracing ideas, innovations and improvements.'

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Advances in technologies and data systems means that we have increasing options available for disease control. More diseases are now preventable through new vaccines and delivery methods and immunisation product development has accelerated during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, data collection, information systems and artificial intelligence are increasingly sophisticated with more applications in the field of communicable diseases. However, at the same time as we observe these advances, we are also seeing falls in immunisation coverage both nationally and internationally, wider gaps in coverage in key populations, and familiar challenges to sharing information to enable better communicable diseases surveillance and evidence-based policy.

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This conference will provide updates on advances and innovations we are making in prevention and surveillance methods for communicable diseases with a focus on immunisation strategies and data needs for disease control. We will also discuss and workshop how we can better use these innovations to address the current challenges we have in communicable diseases control and reflect on how to incorporate these into our policy and practice.

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The conference will provide an opportunity for practitioners, policymakers and researchers to gather and share their knowledge and ideas, make new connections and reinvigorate existing collaborations to and work together to formulate new ways to address the challenges facing us for communicable disease control in 2025.

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Conference topics / sub-themes

The program will provide lively and productive discussions and contributions from professionals engaged in Communicable Disease Control and Immunisation in the region.

We invite you to submit abstracts under the following session topics:

• Artificial Intelligence/Informatics

• Communication, health messaging and consumer engagement

• Disease prevention in priority populations including but not limited to medically at-risk, marginalised groups, culturally and linguistically diverse populations

• Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and zoonoses

• Enteric and foodborne infections

• Global and regional infectious disease control and prevention

• Immunisation: new technologies and delivery systems

• One Health

• Outbreak investigations, responses

• Sexually transmissible and bloodborne infections

• Surveillance and data systems, testing and diagnostics, laboratory surveillance and antimicrobial resistance

• The health of First Nations people: determinants, strengthening communities, service delivery

• Vaccine preventable diseases, programs and implementation, emerging immunisation practices

• Vaccine safety

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An additional level of 'keywords' will be used for the 2025 conference to facilitate more nuanced categorising of abstracts. Delegates will be able to pick a maximum of 2 keywords from the following list:

• Capacity building

• Community engagement

• COVID-19

• Data

• Digital systems

• Emerging diseases

• Evaluation

• Foodborne diseases

• Genomics

• Influenza

• Maternal vaccines

• Novel approaches to surveillance

• Novel approaches to testing

• Novel approaches to vaccines

• Outbreak investigation

• Point of care testing

• Policy

• Programs

• Public health workforce

• Respiratory diseases

• Service delivery

• Social and behavioural science

• Sexually transmissible and bloodborne infections

• Surveillance

• Vaccine preventable diseases

• Zoonoses

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Conference objectives​

The objectives of the conference are to:

• Create a dynamic environment to foster knowledge sharing, collaboration and relationship building among health professionals working on communicable disease control, immunisation, and related areas

• Highlight the activities of relevant research programs on infectious and vaccine preventable diseases to encourage engagement in high quality research initiatives to improve health outcomes for Australians

• Provide collective guidance and insight into capacity building and strengthening communicable disease control and immunisation programs

• Provide conference delegates with new and innovative ideas that can be applied to local settings and systems to help create and improve public health systems for local communities
   

Target audience

The conference will aim to facilitate conversations on improving effectiveness and efficiencies of communicable disease control and immunisation programs through knowledge sharing and relationship building. The program must consider the needs and interests of the communicable disease audience to ensure attraction and participation to the conference.
 

​The target audience will be stakeholders able to effect and/or influence change at the systems and/or practice level including:

• Commonwealth, state, and local government representatives – Ministers/ministerial staff, and health and social sector department representatives

• Early career researchers / trainees in public health

• Front-line responders including community health staff, public health nurses, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation staff and nurse immunisers

• Health and medical researchers

• Health Policy makers

• Healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, allied health, dentistry, pharmacy, etc.

• Immuniser providers

• Infectious disease epidemiologists

• Laboratory scientists and pathologists

• NGO/community and social sector provider and advocacy organisations

• Public health microbiologists

• Social scientists

• Vaccine program managers

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Program content and structure

The program will run over three days with plenary and concurrent sessions. Pre- and post-Conference satellite events may also occur in conjunction with the Conference.