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WPHU showcases public health leadership at national conference
The Western Public Health Unit (WPHU) showcased its public health expertise and innovation at the national Communicable Diseases and Immunisation Conference 2026, held last week right here in Melbourne.
Centred on the theme ‘Public Health at Risk – Collective Solutions to New Challenges’, the conference brought together experts from across Australia to explore the evolving challenges facing public health and the collaborative solutions needed to address them.
Nine abstracts were presented by WPHU at the conference, each demonstrating real-world public health experience and the impact of WPHU’s public health work. The WPHU team impressed national experts and colleagues with their commitment to protecting community health and responding to emerging local outbreaks.
The presentations explored a wide range of topics at the conference, from cutting edge responses to outbreaks through innovative uses of AI to support surveillance of disease.
Submitted presentations include:
- Acute gastroenteritis outbreak following a hospital-wide staff lunch: an in-depth look at how infection spreads and identifying lessons to prevent outbreaks in the future
- Detecting and responding to a household-like cluster of invasive meningococcal disease: an insight into how WPHU handled prevention and vaccination
- Development of Surveillance Prompt: the developing of an AI tool, process and product
- Gen AI for Epi Surveillance: Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist epidemiological surveillance in a local public health unit
- HIV in Central and Western Melbourne – opportunity for targeted prevention: detailing how WPHU are uncovering barriers and developing targeted strategies around HIV prevention
- Influenza in a hospital-based office space: an investigation into the spread of flu and steps taken to prevent more cases
- Management of a Hepatitis A exposure in a hostel: an in-depth look at approaches to outbreak response in a large and complex setting
- Reconsidering Hepatitis A PEP for household-like contacts: reviewing the basis of decision-making around post-exposure prophylaxis for a common public health condition
- Yersinia in RACF: highlighting how collaboration revealed the source of an outbreak affected an aged care setting
The conference was held in WPHU’s catchment at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, which allowed a number of WPHU staff to attend in person, giving them a chance to meet other public health leaders, share their work and ideas, and stimulate learning from others in the field.
“The WPHU team put forward the Western Health powerhouse in the way they showcased practical public health investigation and action for prevention”, said Dr Finn Romanes, Director of WPHU.
“The team had posters, presentations, insightful questions for presenters and most important of all, got to meet and talk to some of Australia’s leading public health experts”, he said.
“This helps WPHU be well placed for the public health challenges we are now seeing and will face more of in the future. This is the need to further boost vaccination, detect and shut down outbreaks quickly and effectively, and being ready to response to the big challenges of imported infections like Ebola, Hantavirus and a globally resurgent measles epidemic.”
Presenting at this national conference highlights the depth and diversity of public health work undertaken at WPHU to deliver timely, effective local public health responses.
