Dr. Paul Gaston Van Buynder
Professor | International Federation on Ageing
Gold Coast, AUSTRALIA
Prof. Van Buynder has worked in senior public health positions in Australian, Canada and at the Centre for Infections in the United Kingdom.
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Biography
Professor Van Buynder has been studying efforts to improve vaccination rates and vaccine effectiveness in older people, particularly those in residential care.
He is the Immediate past president of the Australian Immunisation Coalition, was the Chairman of the Communicable Disease Network of Australia Influenza Management in Residential Care Guideline working group and is a member of the Asia Pacific Alliance for the control of Influenza.
He has been a participant in International Federation of Aging Immunisation meetings in Brisbane, Tokyo and Singapore and in a World Health Organisation review of vaccines in older persons. He was also a participant in the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases review of low influenza vaccine rates in older persons.
Recently he was lead editor and principal author of a Medicine Today supplement in Australia on “Vaccinations for Australians 65 years and older”.
Areas of Expertise (5)
Policy
Influenza
Vaccination
Infectious Diseases
Aged Care Outbreak Response
Accomplishments (2)
Humanitarian Service Award
Australian Government Overseas
Meritorious Service Award
NSW Government Premiers’ Meritorious Service Award
Education (4)
Sydney University: MPH 1991
Australian Faculty of Public Health Medicine: Fellow (FAFPHM) 1990
Melbourne University: Dip RACOG 1983
Melbourne University: MBBS 1980
Links (2)
Languages (1)
- English
Media Appearances (3)
'Anti-vax' mother's regret over whooping cough 'nightmare'
BBC News online
2016-04-06
Dr Buynder said more than 20,000 pertussis cases were recorded in Australia last year, and "sadly this is becoming more common". "There's always a feeling of pregnancy being this special state and you don't want to put anything into your body, but what's really bad for your baby is to get whooping cough or influenza", Dr Buynder added...
Older Australians missing vaccines
Sky News Australia online
2016-04-28
Immunisation Coalition director Paul Van Buynder says Australians need to carry that diligent commitment into old age. 'Ageing makes us vulnerable to infections. When you skip vaccinations, you may leave yourself vulnerable to illnesses ... so it is concerning to see such low rates of immunisation for these conditions among the over-60s,' he said...
Pregnant women, children urged to get vaccinated for influenza before season’s peak
The Courier Mail online
2016-06-30
Influenza Specialist Group director Professor Paul Van Buynder said while the uptake of the free flu shot among the elderly was strong, fewer than half of all pregnant women were getting their free jab. “I’m worried we really haven’t got our pregnant women vaccinated,” Prof Van Buynder said. “Some of them still don’t understand … that getting the flu is terrible for them, and it might be terrible for their unborn baby...
Featured Articles (4)
Seasonal influenza immunisation: Strategies for older adults
International Journal of Clinical Practice
Schaffner W, Van Buynder PG, McNeil S, Osterhaus A
2018 Adults over the age of 60‐65 years suffer disproportionally from seasonal influenza, experiencing high rates of complications, exacerbation of underlying medical comorbidities, and excess mortality. Thus, older adults are an important priority for influenza immunisation campaigns. Unfortunately, older adults generally display lower immune responses to standard influenza vaccines because of immunosenescence, with resulting suboptimal vaccine effectiveness.
Pneumococcal vaccination in older persons: where are we today?
Pneumonia
Van Buynder PG, Booy R
2018 Disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, the pneumococcus, remains a major source of illness in older persons. Globally, it remains the most important pathogen in respiratory infection deaths. Conjugated pneumococcal vaccines are used extensively in national pediatric programs, whereas a polysaccharide vaccine is used in all age groups, but mainly in the elderly and for high-risk groups. Recent data from the Netherlands led to the licensing in many countries of conjugated pneumococcal vaccines for older persons.
Healthcare worker influenza immunization vaccinate or mask policy: strategies for cost effective implementation and subsequent reductions in staff absenteeism due to illness.
Vaccine
Van Buynder PG, Konrad S, Kersteins F, Preston E, Brown PD, Keen D, Murray NJ.
2015 A retrospective cohort study of full-time HCW that worked prior to and during the 2012/13 influenza season in a health authority in BC. The rate of absenteeism due to all cause illness was compared between vaccinated and unvaccinated staff controlling for behaviors outside influenza season.
The comparative effectiveness of adjuvanted and unadjuvanted trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) in the elderly
Vaccine
Van Buynder PG, Konrad S, Van Buynder JL, Krajden M, Ramler G, Brodkin E, Bigham M.
2013 A total of 282 eligible participants were enrolled (84 cases). Almost half (136) were in a long term care facility and were 85 years of age or older (132) vaccine effectiveness decreased with increasing age. In a variety of multivariate analyses, ATIV was significantly protective at around 60% (p=0.02), with only residence in long term care and health authority also significant. Vaccine effectiveness increased in non-long term care residents. In multivariate analyses TIV was ineffective.
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