RRR SIG July Meeting

You are warmly invited to attend the Rural, Remote & Regional Special Interest Group (RRR SIG) meeting which will be held on Wednesday, 1 July at 2:00PM AEST. This is a free event offered online via Microsoft Teams.

Topic: Re-Emergence of Diphtheria in Australia: Prevention, Response and RRR Impact

Event Description:
Respiratory diphtheria is re-emerging in Australia, raising important questions for those working in rural, regional and remote (RRR) healthcare settings. Join us for this timely and thought-provoking RRR SIG as we unpack what this resurgence means for frontline services and the communities they care for. Presented by Dr Tonia Marquardt, this session will explore the evolving epidemiology of respiratory diphtheria, the current public health response, and the unique challenges faced in RRR contexts. As Chair of the CDNA working group for the Diphtheria Series of National Guidelines (SoNG), Tonia is at the forefront of shaping Australia’s response and translating emerging evidence into national practice.

Following the presentation, participants will be invited into an open and interactive discussion. This is an opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and learn from one another, recognising the critical role of collaboration in strengthening outbreak preparedness and response in RRR settings. Together, we will reflect on how lessons from the current situation can support stronger, more responsive systems across RRR settings.

Speaker:
Tonia Marquardt is a public health physician who has worked in a range of remote and developing contexts throughout her career. She spent many years working with Medecins Sans Frontieres on a range of projects and outbreaks as a doctor, the women’s health advisor and medical lead for the Asia Pacific region. She also worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in far north Queensland providing primary health care and retrieval medicine. As a public health physician, Tonia has worked with the NCIRS global health team supporting immunisation in the Pacific region and is currently based in Cairns Public Health Unit focusing on communicable disease control and immunisation.

To register for the July meeting, please click the link here:https://cdesign.eventsair.com/acipc-secretariat/sig-rrr/Site/Register

Contact RRR SIG Convenor: Maggie Di Giacomo, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Townsville University Hospital.
Magdalena.DiGiacomo@health.qld.gov.au