Dr Mohana Kunasekaran is a Research Associated at the Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney. Her research interests include multivariable methods, systematic review and meta-analysis and the epidemiology of infectious diseases particularly in aged care settings. Her work is focused on enhancing the aged care sector’s capacity for outbreak control by utilising data on facility design and past outbreaks to guide decision making during outbreak situations.
Research Associate
Dr Mohana Kunasekaran
- Doctor of Philosophy (UNSW)
- Master of International Public Health - Epidemiology (UNSW)
- Master of International International Public Health (UNSW)
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) (UNSW)
Publications
Journal articles
Shrestha A; Chen R; Kunasekaran M; Honeyman D; Notaras A; Sutton B; Quigley A; MacIntyre CR, 2024, 'The risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults diagnosed with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis', Ageing Research Reviews, 101, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2024.102448
2024
Chen R; Kunasekaran M; Moa A; Lim S; Chughtai AA; Kpozehouen EB; Chen X; Quigley A; Macintyre CR, 2024, 'Respiratory illness of unknown cause as an early signal of the COVID-19 pandemic', Global Biosecurity, 6, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.253
2024
Greenhalgh T; MacIntyre CR; Baker MG; Bhattacharjee S; Chughtai AA; Fisman D; Kunasekaran M; Kvalsvig A; Lupton D; Oliver M; Tawfiq E; Ungrin M; Vipond J, 2024, 'Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review', Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 37, pp. e00124 - e00123, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00124-23
2024
Berry MT; Khan SR; Schlub TE; Notaras A; Kunasekaran M; Grulich AE; MacIntyre CR; Davenport MP; Khoury DS, 2024, 'Predicting vaccine effectiveness for mpox', Nature Communications, 15, pp. 3856, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48180-w
2024
Quigley AL; Kunasekaran M; Stone H; Honeyman D; Notaras A; Lim S; MacIntyre CR, 2024, 'The impact of the cruise ship coral princess on COVID-19 transmission in regional Western Australia in 2022.', J Travel Med, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taae044
2024
MacIntyre CR; Chen X; Kunasekaran M; Quigley A; Lim S; Stone H; Paik HY; Yao L; Heslop D; Wei W; Sarmiento I; Gurdasani D, 2023, 'Artificial intelligence in public health: the potential of epidemic early warning systems', Journal of International Medical Research, 51, http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/03000605231159335
2023
Raphael M; Kelly-Hanku A; Heslop D; Hutchinson D; Kunasekaran M; Quigley A; Macintyre R, 2023, 'Early pandemic use of face masks in Papua New Guinea under a mask mandate', Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal, 14, http://dx.doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.2023.14.1.998
2023
Hutchinson D; Kunasekaran M; Quigley A; Moa A; MacIntyre CR, 2023, 'Could it be monkeypox? Use of an AI-based epidemic early warning system to monitor rash and fever illness', Public Health, 220, pp. 142 - 147, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.05.010
2023
Chen X; Kunasekaran MP; Hutchinson D; Stone H; Zhang T; Aagerup J; Moa A; MacIntyre CR, 2023, 'Enhanced EPIRISK tool for rapid epidemic risk analysis', Public Health, 224, pp. 159 - 168, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2023.08.032
2023
Hutchinson D; Kunasekaran M; Stone H; Chen X; Quigley A; Moa A; Macintyre CR, 2023, 'Healthcare Workers' SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Four Hospital Outbreaks during Delta Variant Prevalence in Sydney, Australia', Nursing Research and Practice, 2023, pp. 1806909, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/1806909
2023
Moa A; Kunasekaran M; Akhtar Z; Costantino V; MacIntyre CR; Zubair Akhtar AM, 2023, 'Systematic review of influenza vaccine effectiveness against laboratory-confirmed influenza among older adults living in aged care facilities', Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, 19, pp. 2271304, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2023.2271304
2023
Stone H; Heslop D; Lim S; Sarmiento I; Kunasekaran M; Raina MacIntyre C, 2023, 'Open-Source Intelligence for Detection of Radiological Events and Syndromes Following the Invasion of Ukraine in 2022: Observational Study', JMIR Infodemiology, 3, http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/39895
2023
Chen R; Kezhekkekara SG; Kunasekaran MP; MacIntyre CR, 2023, 'Universal masking during COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis', Ageing Research Reviews, 93, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2023.102138
2023
Kunasekaran MP; Mongha A; Chughtai AA; Poulos CJ; Heslop DJ; MacIntyre CR, 2022, 'Policy Analysis for Prevention and Control of Influenza in Aged Care', Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 23, pp. 1741.e1 - 1741.e18, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2022.06.002
2022
Hutchinson D; Kunasekaran M, 2022, 'Emergence of novel orthopox virus in Alaska, USA', Global Biosecurity, 4, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.143
2022
Quigley A; Kunasekaran M; Hutchinson D; Gardiner E; Kannan A; Abraham. S, 2022, 'Tomato Flu/Fever-An analysis of the Hand Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak reported in India.', Global Biosecurity, 4, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.177
2022
Kunasekaran M; Hutchinson D; Stone H; Chen X, 2022, 'Unknown skin disease among Senegalese fishermen', Global Biosecurity, 4, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.153
2022
Honeyman D; Buisson E; Hutchinson D; Kunasekaran M; Aagerup J; Chen X; Moa A; Hyde Z, 2022, 'SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant: a systematic review of transmissibility and severity in children', Global Biosecurity, 4, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.169
2022
Kunasekaran M; Quigley A; Rahman B; Chughtai AA; Heslop DJ; Poulos CJ; Macintyre CR, 2022, 'Factors Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Attack Rates in Aged Care-A Meta-Analysis', Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 9, pp. ofac033, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac033
2022
Hutchinson D; Kunasekaran M; Chen X; Moa A, 2022, 'Japanese Encephalitis Outbreak in South-Eastern Australia, 2022', Global Biosecurity, 4, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.159
2022
Lai YA; Chen X; Kunasekaran M; Rahman B; MacIntyre CR, 2022, 'Global epidemiology of vaccine-derived poliovirus 2016–2021: A descriptive analysis and retrospective case-control study', eClinicalMedicine, 50, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101508
2022
Kenrick Gardiner ER; Notaras A; Kunasekaran MP; Quigley A, 2022, 'Legionnaires’ disease: A critical report of the pneumonia of unknown origin outbreak in Argentina', Global Biosecurity, 4, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.180
2022
Kunasekaran M; Poulos CJ; Chughtai AA; Heslop DJ; MacIntyre CR, 2022, 'Factors associated with repeated influenza vaccine uptake among aged care staff in an Australian sample from 2017 to 2019', Vaccine, 40, pp. 7238 - 7246, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.08.015
2022
Kalyar F; Chen X; Kunasekaran M; Moa A; Chughtai A; Maclntyre R; MacIntyre R, 2022, 'An unprecedented global resurgence of monkeypox', Global Biosecurity, 4, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/GBIO.170
2022
Kunasekaran MP; Chughtai AA; Heslop DJ; Poulos CJ; MacIntyre CR, 2022, 'Influenza cases in nine aged care facilities in Sydney, Australia over a three-year surveillance period, 2018—2020', Vaccine, 40, pp. 4253 - 4261, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.04.048
2022
Kunasekaran M; Moa A; Hooshmand E; Trent M; Poulos CJ; Chughtai AA; Heslop DJ; Raina MacIntyre C, 2022, 'Effectiveness estimates for enhanced trivalent influenza vaccines in an aged care summer outbreak', Vaccine, 40, pp. 7170 - 7175, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.06.018
2022
Hooshmand E; Moa A; Trent M; Kunasekaran M; Poulos CJ; Chughtai AA; MacIntyre CR, 2021, 'Epidemiology of 2017 influenza outbreaks in nine Australian Aged care facilities', Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses, 15, pp. 278 - 283, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/irv.12811
2021
Stone H; Lim S; Kunasekaran M, 2021, 'Greater Sydney SARS-CoV-2 Observations from the 16th of June to the 13th of July', Global Biosecurity, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.125/
2021
Kunasekaran M; Hutchinson D; Stone H; Chen X; Moa A, 2021, 'Is the Delta Plus Variant (B.1.617.2/AY1) more serious than the Delta Variant?', Global Biosecurity, 3, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.139
2021
Stone H; Lim S; Kunasekaran M; Nunes-Vaz R, 2021, 'Greater Sydney SARS-CoV-2 Observations from the 16th of June to the 13th of July', Global Biosecurity, 3, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.125
2021
Costantino V; Kunasekaran M; MacIntyre CR, 2021, 'Modelling of optimal vaccination strategies in response to a bioterrorism associated smallpox outbreak', Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, 17, pp. 738 - 746, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2020.1800324
2021
Lesmanawati DAS; Adam DC; Hooshmand E; Moa A; Kunasekaran MP; MacIntyre CR, 2021, 'The global epidemiology of Hepatitis A outbreaks 2016-2018 and the utility of EpiWATCH as a rapid epidemic intelligence service', Global Biosecurity, 3, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.100
2021
Lina SMM; Kunasekaran MP; Moa A, 2021, 'Brucellosis Outbreak in China, 2019', Global Biosecurity, 3, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.108
2021
Chughtai AA; Seale H; Rawlinson WD; Kunasekaran M; Raina Macintyre C, 2021, 'Selection and use of respiratory protection by healthcare workers to protect from infectious diseases in hospital settings', Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 64, pp. 368 - 377, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ANNWEH/WXAA020
2021
Lai E; Tan HY; Kunasekaran M; Chughtai AA; Trent M; Poulos C; MacIntyre CR, 2020, 'Influenza vaccine coverage and predictors of vaccination among aged care workers in Sydney Australia', Vaccine, 38, pp. 1968 - 1974, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.01.004
2020
Nguyen PY; Chen XJ; Kunasekaran M, 2020, 'Rise in pneumonia cases of unknown aetiology in Kazakhstan in June 2020: A rapid analysis', Global Biosecurity, 2, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.81
2020
MacIntyre CR; Chen X; Kunasekaran M; Kannan A; Nayak V; Bayaraa K; Sitnikova E; Nguyen PY; German T, 2020, 'Tailored intelligence to detect unusual epidemic activity following the explosion at Vector, Russia', Global Biosecurity, 1, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.85
2020
MacIntyre R; Chugtai AA; Kunasekaran MP; Bhattacharjee S; Engells TE, 2020, 'Risk mitigation of inadvertent exposure to biothreats to front line law enforcement', Global Biosecurity, 2, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.59
2020
Chughtai AA; Tan TC; Hitchen EM; Kunasekaran M; MacIntyre CR, 2020, 'Association of influenza infection and vaccination with cardiac biomarkers and left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with acute myocardial infarction', IJC Heart and Vasculature, 31, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcha.2020.100648
2020
Costantino V; Trent MJ; Sullivan JS; Kunasekaran MP; Gray R; MacIntyre R, 2020, 'Serological immunity to smallpox in New South Wales, Australia', Viruses, 12, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v12050554
2020
Tan HY; Lai E; Kunasekaran M; Chughtai AA; Trent M; Poulos CJ; MacIntyre CR, 2019, 'Prevalence and predictors of influenza vaccination among residents of long-term care facilities', Vaccine, 37, pp. 6329 - 6335, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.09.021
2019
MacIntyre CR; Costantino V; Kunasekaran MP, 2019, 'Health system capacity in Sydney, Australia in the event of a biological attack with smallpox', PLoS ONE, 14, pp. e0217704, http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217704
2019
Kunasekaran MP; Chen X; Costantino V; Chughtai AA; MacIntyre CR, 2019, 'Evidence for residual immunity to smallpox after vaccination and implications for re-emergence', Military Medicine, 184, pp. e668 - e679, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usz181
2019
Kunasekaran M, 2019, 'Report of Monkeypox cases in 2018 in the United Kingdom', Global Biosecurity, 1, pp. 140, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.22
2019
Kunasekaran M; Chen X; Costantino V; Chughtai A; MacIntyre R, 2019, 'Evidence for Residual Immunity to Smallpox After Vaccination', Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 34, pp. s129 - s129, http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x19002802
2019
Kunasekaran M; Trent M; Lai E; Tan H; Chughtai A; Poulos C; MacIntyre R, 2019, 'Influenza Vaccine Uptake and Associated Factors in Aged Care Facilities', Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 34, pp. s140 - s140, http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x19003108
2019
Armstrong J; Adam D; Kunasekaran M; MacIntyre R; Nand D; Heslop D, 2019, 'Themes and correlations of participant experience and evaluation of an interactive bioterrorism release exercise – a mixed methods study', Journal of Global Biosecurity, 1, pp. 1, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.20
2019
MacIntyre R; Valentina C; Biswajit M; Devina N; Mohana Priya K; David H; Costantino V; Heslop D; Kunasekaran M, 2019, 'Epidemic size, duration and vaccine stockpiling following a large-scale attack with smallpox', Global Biosecurity, 1, pp. 74 - 81, http://dx.doi.org/10.31646/gbio.13
2019
Adam DC; Bui CM; Heywood AE; Kunasekaran M; Sheikh M; Narasimhan P; MacIntyre CR, 2018, 'Adherence to anti-vectorial prevention measures among travellers with chikungunya and malaria returning to Australia: Comparative epidemiology', BMC Research Notes, 11, pp. 590, http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13104-018-3695-9
2018
Hii A; Chughtai AA; Housen T; Saketa S; Kunasekaran MP; Sulaiman F; Yanti NS; MacIntyre CR, 2018, 'Epidemic intelligence needs of stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region', Western Pacific surveillance and response journal : WPSAR, 9, pp. 28 - 36, http://dx.doi.org/10.5365/wpsar.2018.9.2.009
2018
Costantino V; Kunasekaran MP; Chughtai AA; MacIntyre CR, 2018, 'How Valid Are Assumptions about Re-emerging Smallpox? A Systematic Review of Parameters Used in Smallpox Mathematical Models', Military Medicine, 183, pp. e200 - e207, http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usx092
2018
MacIntyre CR; Costantino V; Chen X; Segelov E; Chughtai AA; Kelleher A; Kunasekaran M; Lane JM, 2018, 'Influence of population immunosuppression and past vaccination on smallpox reemergence', Emerging Infectious Diseases, 24, pp. 646 - 653, http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2404.171233
2018
Preprints
Berry M; Khan S; Schlub T; Notaras A; Kunasekaran M; Grulich A; MacIntyre R; Davenport M; Khoury D, 2023, Predicting vaccine effectiveness in Mpox, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.23.23298850
2023
Stone H; Heslop D; Lim S; Sarmiento I; Kunasekaran M; MacIntyre CR, 2022, Open-Source Intelligence for Detection of Radiological Events and Syndromes Following the Invasion of Ukraine in 2022: Observational Study (Preprint), http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/preprints.39895
2022
Conference Abstracts
Hii A; Chughtai AA; Housen T; Saketa S; Kunasekaran MP; Sulaiman F; Yanti NS; Macintyre CR, 2019, 'Epidemic intelligence needs of stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific Region, 2017', in INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES, ELSEVIER SCI LTD, Vol. 79, pp. 113 - 113, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2018.11.280
2019
Conference Papers
MacIntyre CR; Kpozehouen E; Kunasekaran M; Harriman K; Conaty S; Rosewell A; Druce J; Martin N; Heywood AE; Gidding HF; Wood J; Nicholl S, 2018, 'Measles control in Australia – threats, opportunities and future needs', in Vaccine, pp. 4393 - 4398, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.06.022
2018
Conference Presentations
Kunasekaran M, 2010, 'Introduction to modelling of infectious diseases', presented at 2nd International workshop on "Mathematical modelling of infectious diseases", Chennai, India, 05 December 2010 - 10 December 2010
2010
Awards
Kirby Emerging Investigator Award 2024