Communicable Diseases & Immunisation Conference 2026

About the Conference

 

Conference Theme

 

In 2026 the Conference theme will be “Public Health at Risk – Collective Solutions to New Challenges”.

 

Public health in Australia and globally is at the crossroads.

 

This will be the first of our conferences that takes place following the establishment of the Australian Centre for Disease Control. But it arrives in an environment where global leadership in communicable disease control and immunisation appears to be in retreat. We have increasingly more sophisticated prevention and response options, but we face the challenges of falling immunisation coverage, growing climate crises and declines in societal trust in institutions following the pandemic. In the next few years artificial intelligence may change every aspect of the way we do our day-to-day work, but how should we best respond to take advantage of the available benefits, whilst managing the existing and emerging risks?

 

In this challenging time we are asking you to bring to this conference your ideas to drive improvement in communicable disease control and prevention. The conference will provide the opportunity to learn about the changes happening nationally and internationally, and to share your local solutions and successes. What can we learn from you to better manage our most pressing challenges? Join us in Melbourne to be part of the conversation as we work together to improve disease control in Australia.​

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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.

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