News Articles
Vic emergency departments during COVID-19: overall presentations down but assault & DIY injuries up
Date of Posting: 12-08-2020
COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria have had a marked effect on how and where we spend our time. For many people, home has become the workplace, and for most school-aged children, home is also the classroom. We compared Victorian emergency dep Read More...
Australian researchers hope alpacas could help fight the coronavirus
Last Updated: 12-08-2020
Australian medical researchers hope the unique immune response of alpacas can be harnessed into a prevention and treatment for COVID-19. Australian medical researchers have found an unlikely hero in a pair of alpacas they hope will help them devel Read More...
New Zealand has COVID-19 cases again
Last Updated: 12-08-2020
Four New Zealanders in one Auckland family have tested positive for COVID-19, ending the country's 102-day run without community transmission. New Zealand's golden COVID-19 run is over, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern placing Auckland i Read More...
Australian's aged care residents trapped in a 'catch 22' due to COVID-19 restrictions
Date of Posting: 11-08-2020
While the Australian Physiotherapist Association has welcomed new research that proves Australians want a better funded aged care system, the group has called for additional funds to be allocated towards allied health, particularly in light of the de Read More...
New research will examine long-term virus recovery
Date of Posting: 11-08-2020
A new study by Australian researchers will examine how the country's most seriously-ill COVID-19 cases recover from the virus over six months. New research led by an ICU specialist working at the epicentre of the Victorian outbreak will examin Read More...
NSW aged care providers call to hospitalise residents with virus
Last Updated: 11-08-2020
Coronavirus-infected aged care residents must be automatically hospitalised to avoid the numbers of elderly dying like in Victoria, NSW aged care providers say. The NSW government must promise to automatically hospitalise coronavirus-infected aged Read More...
Victoria health workers need more PPE
Last Updated: 11-08-2020
Health workers have told a survey they have limited access to protective gear they need to safely fight coronavirus, but authorities say it's being distributed. Victoria might need to improve getting protective equipment to health workers, but Read More...
Young girls exposed to negative peers at risk of adult mental health issues
Date of Posting: 10-08-2020
School-aged girls who socialise with negative peers are more likely to not only experience depression during their youth, but are at an increased risk of mental health problems as adults, a world-first study by international economists has found. Read More...
Treating people with chronic wounds
Date of Posting: 10-08-2020
The nation’s peak body for wound prevention and management, Wounds Australia, is hoping to leverage the public’s high trust ranking of healthcare specialists to educate people on the risks and treatment of chronic wounds. The organisat Read More...
New free online platform to help young people on the autism spectrum prepare for their working life
Last Updated: 10-08-2020
myWAY Employability, Autism CRC's new smart web platform for young people on the autism spectrum, was launched today by Jackie Coates, Head of Telstra Foundation. According to ABS 2018 data, more than one third of people on the autism sp Read More...
Combination asthma medication is over-prescribed to Australian children
Date of Posting: 10-08-2020
Children aged 5 or under shouldn’t be prescribed combination asthma controllers at all, according to the national asthma guidelines – but reality looks different, a UNSW study has shown. Australian children – preschoolers in part Read More...
COVID-19 research call for domestic violence workers
Date of Posting: 10-08-2020
UNSW researchers seek workers helping people impacted by domestic and family violence for a study into how services are meeting community need during the coronavirus pandemic. New UNSW Sydney research will interview workers in the domestic and fam Read More...
RACGP survey finds GPs keen on telehealth
Date of Posting: 10-08-2020
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has released the results of a survey showing that GPs and patients are embracing telehealth consultations. The survey found that many GPs are willing to adopt or continue using teleheal Read More...
Australians urged to join global study of COVID-19 mental and physical health impacts
Date of Posting: 10-08-2020
Australians are invited to participate in the world’s largest survey of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental health, to generate new insights that can drive better health policies and investments. With more than 80,000 Read More...
Victorian government is investing in mental health at home
Last Updated: 10-08-2020
The Victorian government is investing a further $60 million towards acute mental health support to keep people out of the state's busy emergency departments. The Victorian government is investing $60 million to keep people suffering acute ment Read More...
Limited childcare in Melbourne due to lockdown
Last Updated: 06-08-2020
Access to childcare will be limited in Melbourne as part of the stage-four lockdown, with arrangements being confirmed on Wednesday night. Only children of permitted workers in Melbourne or the vulnerable can access childcare, with the state gover Read More...
Australians are warned over fake COVID-19 medications
Last Updated: 06-08-2020
Australians have been urged not to take medicines being touted as a cure or preventative for COVID-19 with a doctor warning they can be "downright dangerous". Australians have been reminded there's no treatment or cure for COVID-19 a Read More...
Remote interpreting services are essential for people with limited English
Last Updated: 05-08-2020
According to 2016 Census data, 3.5% of Australians have limited English proficiency. When they’re receiving health care, it’s essential these Australians have access to interpreters. Research has shown professional interpr Read More...
5 ways to get mental health help without having to talk on the phone
Date of Posting: 05-08-2020
Access to mental health support has never been more important, as Melburnians are hit with a stage 4 lockdown and much of the rest of Australia braces for a potential second wave of COVID-19. This year, many mental health professional Read More...
Voices from the frontline help fight pandemic
Date of Posting: 04-08-2020
Health workers are being encouraged to share their experiences working on the frontline of COVID-19 via WhatsApp thanks to a smart initiative developed by The Nossal Institute for Global Health and the School of Computing and Information Systems at T Read More...
Many Indigenous patients won't tell hospitals they're Indigenous for fear of poorer care
Last Updated: 04-08-2020
The federal government recently announced 16 Closing the Gap targets, seen by some as a policy re-set for yet another “once in a generation” chance to address Indigenous disadvantage. But one barrier Indigenous people still face Read More...
PPE unmasked: why health-care workers in Australia are inadequately protected against coronavirus
Last Updated: 04-08-2020
In Victoria, more than 1,100 health-care workers have now been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Some 11% of active cases are workers in the health-care sector. Health-care workers are reported to Read More...
Graduate on cutting edge of respiratory testing in UK
Date of Posting: 04-08-2020
USC Biomedical Science graduate Kellie Strickland had to pinch herself when she landed in England in September last year to take up a respiratory physiologist position at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth. “This was a prospect I had Read More...
Popular high blood pressure drug linked to increased skin cancer risk in older Australians
Date of Posting: 04-08-2020
Hydrochlorothiazide use increases older people’s risk of developing skin cancer, a study by UNSW Sydney scientists has shown – but the researchers warn against suddenly stopping the medicine. Hydrochlorothiazide – one of th Read More...
Bupa announces telehealth is here to stay
Date of Posting: 04-08-2020
The move to virtual healthcare, driven by COVID-19, is here to stay with health insurer Bupa announcing that its customers will continue to be covered for a range of popular telehealth services under applicable Extras health insurance products. Th Read More...
Experts say face masks can trigger trauma for victims
Date of Posting: 03-08-2020
With the introduction of mandatory masks in Victoria and other states advocating for their use, experts say it can be a serious concern for trauma survivors. As face masks become increasingly de rigueur for millions of people living in Victoria an Read More...
Fears for culturally and linguistically diverse patients avoiding healthcare due to COVID-19
Last Updated: 03-08-2020
Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients are being urged to take care of their health and contact their GP for any issues following concerns some may be avoiding medical care due to fear of the COVID-19 virus. The Royal Australian Col Read More...
An international trial to sniff out COVID-19
Date of Posting: 30-07-2020
Detection dogs are being trained to sniff out COVID-19 infections as part of an international study. Not only are dogs man's best friend but they're also being trained to sniff out COVID-19 infections.[subscribe] Researchers from the Un Read More...
Australia's researchers have found an Alzheimer's therapy treatment
Last Updated: 30-07-2020
Australian researchers have discovered a treatment that could reverse the effects of memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease. Australian researchers are hopeful they have found a treatment that could reverse the impacts of memory loss Read More...
New Zealand will charge international arrivals
Last Updated: 30-07-2020
A new scheme to charge entrants to New Zealand has been attacked as unworkable and pointless. The New Zealand government has announced plans to start charging some international arrivals, allowing citizens to return to live for free, but not holid Read More...
Sniffles, sneezing and cough? How to tell if it's a simple allergy rather than The Virus
Date of Posting: 29-07-2020
We’re told to stay home if we feel unwell during the COVID-19 pandemic. But what if your sniffles, sore throat or cough aren’t infectious? What if they’re caused by hayfever or another allergic reaction? You may be doing a lot mo Read More...
Why is the government restricting Medicare funds for ECGs?
Last Updated: 29-07-2020
From August 1, if the federal government has its way, Medicare will stop paying for GPs to interpret common heart tests called electrocardiograms, or ECGs. Health Minister Greg Hunt says the decision is based on safety advice from a t Read More...
Here's what we know so far about the long-term symptoms of COVID-19
Last Updated: 29-07-2020
We’re now all too familiar with the common symptoms of COVID-19: a fever, dry cough and fatigue. Some people also experience aches and pains, a sore throat, and loss of taste or smell. Sufferers with mild illness might expect to Read More...
Viral hepatitis treatment and policy must place affected communities at centre
Date of Posting: 29-07-2020
An annual trends report says addressing the impact of COVID-19, stigma and the distrust of public health is needed to ensure harm reduction and raise treatment numbers. Health support services should engage more deeply with communities affected by Read More...
New covid clinic pop-ups has been set up in Sydney
Date of Posting: 29-07-2020
A new pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic has been set up in Sydney's east due to fears about the possibility of further spread from a Potts Point cluster. A number of new pop-up COVID-19 testing clinics have been set up as the number of confirmed Read More...
A couple in Melbourne gave away free masks
Date of Posting: 28-07-2020
A Melbourne couple is making facemasks to give away to people in their community during the pandemic and their kindness has prompted neighbourhood camaraderie. Once word went around that face masks would become mandatory, a Melbourne husband and w Read More...
RACGP improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare
Date of Posting: 27-07-2020
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has today launched position statements to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare. It comes as the RACGP celebrates the 10-year anniversary of its National Faculty of A Read More...
Extra care and vigilance needed in aged care to protect people living with dementia
Date of Posting: 27-07-2020
Dementia peak body acknowledges the devastating impact that COVID-19 is having on older Australians, particularly on people living with dementia who are some of the most vulnerable people in the community. Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe said Read More...
Technology to promote communication of emotion in times of social isolation
Date of Posting: 27-07-2020
A new artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) device which recognises and reads the emotional cues of those around us could be a welcome step in combating mental health disorders experienced as a result of COVID-19. Researchers fro Read More...
Almost 600 COVID-19 cases at Victoria aged care homes
Last Updated: 27-07-2020
More than 550 Victorian aged care residents and staff have been infected with coronavirus, as the state marked its deadliest day. Hundreds of Victorian aged care residents and staff are battling COVID-19, with the death toll expected to rise in th Read More...
