Record-high flu season as jab rates stall, GPs warn

Date of Posting: 21-10-2025

Australia is experiencing its worst-ever flu season, with some 410,000 cases of influenza reported this year, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says. The figures already exceeded 2024's record 365,000 case numbers and were Read More...

Peanut butter loving babies are licking allergies

Date of Posting: 21-10-2025

A decade after a landmark study proved that feeding peanut products to young babies could prevent them developing life-threatening allergies, it's making a big difference in the real world. About 60,000 children have avoided developing peanut Read More...

New study may open doors for families with Parkinson's

Date of Posting: 19-10-2025

Three generations of Amelia Dowe's family have been diagnosed with Parkinson's and while she harbours some worry for herself and her brothers, the 18-year-old isn't scared. "There's no point for us to live in fear of what may Read More...

National guidelines for menopause treatment on the way

Date of Posting: 19-10-2025

Huge knowledge gaps around menopause and perimenopause are leaving doctors unable to help patients manage their symptoms but new clinical guidelines will aim to change that. On World Menopause Day, the federal government announced it would open th Read More...

Workplaces urged to support employees in menopause

Date of Posting: 17-10-2025

Women experiencing menopause are one of Australia's fastest-growing workforce demographics, but they say shame, stigma and a lack of support is driving them to early retirement. The impacts of menopause on a woman's career can be profound, Read More...

Super payout warning over cosmetic medical treatments

Date of Posting: 17-10-2025

Tapping the compassionate release of super to fund inappropriate cosmetic procedures needs to be stamped out, the tax office and health practitioner regulators say. The warning comes as new ATO data shows a further jump in applicants seeking early Read More...

Dentists urged not to promote early super extractions

Date of Posting: 17-10-2025

Dentists are being urged to pull any advertising promoting the early withdrawal of superannuation funds to pay for dental work in new guidelines from their peak body. The Australian Dental Association guidelines have been released as the latest Au Read More...

Fertility rate hits record low as parents' ages climb

Date of Posting: 16-10-2025

The nation's fertility rate has hit a record low as the age of new parents continues to creep up and the number of babies they're having goes down. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released data sets about births across the country, Read More...

What matters most when choosing an aged care home

Last Updated: 14-10-2025

Choosing the right aged care home is one of the most important decisions families can make. It’s not just about finding a comfortable place to live — it’s about ensuring loved ones receive the care, respect, and support they deserve Read More...

How residential aged care is evolving to meet modern needs

Date of Posting: 14-10-2025

Australia’s aged care landscape is evolving rapidly as providers respond to the changing needs and expectations of today’s seniors. Gone are the days when aged care simply meant a place to live with access to medical support. Modern resid Read More...

Medicinal cannabis being 'exploited' through telehealth

Date of Posting: 14-10-2025

Doctors and pharmacists have raised concerns about medicinal cannabis, alleging excessive and poorly regulated prescribing practices outside of "typical care pathways". Largely unregulated prescribing and dispensing of medicinal cannabis Read More...

Helping families of disabled kids 'find their village'

Last Updated: 13-10-2025

At a funeral for a baby who died just before her first birthday after struggling with a rare genetic condition and complex medical needs, three women stood together and noticed something that would stay with them long after. Around the room were c Read More...

Global life expectancy rebounds to pre-pandemic levels

Date of Posting: 13-10-2025

Global life expectancy has returned in 2023 to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, rising to 76.3 years for women and 71.5 years for men. The Global Burden of Disease, a long-running study on mortality, has determined that since 1950, life e Read More...

Meet the 'dangerous' AI doctors fooling Australians

Date of Posting: 13-10-2025

AI-generated "health professionals" are dispensing bogus advice and even prescribing medicines to unsuspecting Australians. Multiple Facebook pages have been detected falsely purporting to belong to doctors specialising in dermatology, m Read More...

Trump medical checks find him in 'exceptional health'

Date of Posting: 12-10-2025

US President Donald Trump is in "exceptional health", his doctor says, following a check-up that included lab tests and preventive health assessments. Trump spent roughly three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre for wh Read More...

Alarm over prostate cancer rates in younger men

Date of Posting: 12-10-2025

Prostate cancer wasn't on Ben Jenkins' radar when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with an aggressive form of the condition at age 36. His GP suggested a prostate specific antigen test to get a baseline result against checks in the future but Read More...

William fights tears as he discusses impact of suicide

Date of Posting: 12-10-2025

Prince William has choked back tears as he discussed the devastating impact of suicide with a woman whose husband took his own life in a short film released by the British royal's office to mark World Mental Health Day. In the film, the heir t Read More...

Hospital damaged, ambulances diverted in wild weather

Last Updated: 10-10-2025

A hospital has been damaged and thousands of properties left without power by wild weather that has forced a state-wide severe warning. The Mersey Community Hospital in northwest Tasmania was being assessed on Friday morning for the full extent of Read More...

Landmark $5.8m penalty over health data cyber attack

Date of Posting: 10-10-2025

A landmark fine imposed after hundreds of thousands of pathology patients had their details leaked has been seen as a "vivid reminder" to corporations about protecting private data. Medlab Pathology was hit with a cyber attack and ransom Read More...

Fears 'silent killer' too often goes undetected

Date of Posting: 10-10-2025

Carla McNaughton was 30 when she was diagnosed with the "silent killer" of chronic kidney disease. She went to a doctor with dehydration and dark urine, and was found to have the illness also known as CKD.[subscribe] "I've ne Read More...

'Full' aged-care homes screening out needy residents

Date of Posting: 09-10-2025

Aged-care providers are screening out older people with high-support needs and ending clients' services without warning because of debts they were unaware of. The Older Persons Advocacy Network's Presenting Issues report has identified the Read More...

US CDC stops recommending COVID-19 shots for all

Date of Posting: 09-10-2025

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adopted recommendations by a new group of vaccine advisers, and stopped recommending COVID-19 shots for anyone — leaving the choice up to patients. The government health agency on Monday Read More...

Why the job of a local GP has become more complicated

Date of Posting: 08-10-2025

GPs are having to see patients for longer appointments to treat more complex medical needs, a snapshot of Australian practice reveals. The Health of the Nation report also finds a slight increase in the number of people delaying a visit to the doc Read More...

Nobel in medicine goes to trio for immunity research

Date of Posting: 08-10-2025

Scientists Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi have won the 2025 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for "their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance". The 2025 prize "relates to how we keep our immune sy Read More...

Women urged to self-test as STI infections climb

Date of Posting: 08-10-2025

Shame, stigma and outdated sentiments about women's sexual wellness are contributing to a growing crisis around increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections and a decline in testing. STI rates have surged across Australia by 46 per cent Read More...

States hit emergency alert over 'unfair' hospital funds

Last Updated: 07-10-2025

State and territory treasurers from both sides of the political aisle are demanding the Albanese government keep its word and open up the purse strings for public hospitals. Negotiations have turned bitter over a five-year hospital funding agreeme Read More...

Overdose-reversing medication to be kept at pubs, clubs

Date of Posting: 07-10-2025

Pubs, clubs and music venues in Australia's cocaine consumption capital will be able to keep medication on hand to reverse opioid overdoses. Licensed venues in NSW have been invited to participate in a voluntary program providing naloxone nasa Read More...

Major change to IVF treatments for donors and families

Date of Posting: 07-10-2025

Women whose IVF care was paused due to providers exceeding donor limits will be given exemptions to complete treatment. NSW Health announced it would wave through certain treatments weeks after discovering embattled provider Monash IVF had potenti Read More...

States and feds go toe-to-toe over hospital funding

Last Updated: 06-10-2025

Angry state premiers from both sides of politics have accused the federal government of driving up pressure on the hospital system by failing to properly fund the aged care sector. The states have also taken the Commonwealth to task for what they Read More...

States say funding shortfall puts hospital care at risk

Last Updated: 06-10-2025

Battlelines are being drawn in a fight between states and the federal government over who should pay for health and disability services. In a blistering statement, state and territory health ministers claim Commonwealth funding is falling tens of Read More...

Labor accused of reneging on landmark health, NDIS deal

Date of Posting: 06-10-2025

The federal government is trying to short-change states and territories out of tens of billions of dollars in health funding by reneging on a historic deal, concerned premiers say. The potential shortfall would affect the quality of hospital servi Read More...

Glimmer of fertility hope in early skin cell experiment

Date of Posting: 05-10-2025

Human skin cells may one day be used to create functional human eggs in a step toward helping women have their own genetic children when their natural eggs are dysfunctional, according to very early lab experiments reported in a scientific journal. Read More...

Aged care workers to get fourth pay bump in three years

Date of Posting: 05-10-2025

Aged care workers will receive more money in their pocket, with a fourth pay rise in three years set to take effect. Wednesday's increase means a level two registered nurse, which is the most common level, will receive an extra $60.20 a week, Read More...

Over half of Aussie men meet criteria for loneliness

Date of Posting: 05-10-2025

Australian men say they are lonelier than ever, with more than half meeting the criteria for loneliness and lacking companionship. Men who experience loneliness are roughly twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts compared with those who do not.[ Read More...

Doctor denies sexually abusing four patients

Date of Posting: 03-10-2025

A doctor will face trial over allegations he sexually abused four patients - including a teenager - after charges related to a fifth female patient were withdrawn. Ahmed Al-Sudani, 47, was charged with six counts each of rape and sexual touching w Read More...

Missed cancer scans reveal major hospital bungle

Date of Posting: 03-10-2025

A five-week delay reviewing the scans of one terminally ill cancer patient has triggered checks for thousands more cases after failures at a major hospital. In the second Queensland Health bungle revealed in two days, patients at Caboolture Hospit Read More...

Easier access to prescriptions as nurses' powers grow

Date of Posting: 03-10-2025

Australians will soon be able to more easily access medicines as nurses are given more powers to prescribe. Registered nurses who receive specific training will be qualified to prescribe medicines for issues such as blood pressure, diabetes, pain Read More...

Health body leading by example with Indigenous voice

Date of Posting: 01-10-2025

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices will be "front and centre" on public health issues that impact them with the establishment of a voice to a major peak body. The Public Health Association of Australia voted almost unanimously Read More...

Aussies could miss out under Trump drug pricing plan

Date of Posting: 01-10-2025

Australians could miss out on access to "life-changing" medicines after Donald Trump announced plans to cut drug costs in the US. President Trump signed an executive order in May asking American drug manufacturers to lower their prices b Read More...

Drinking any amount of alcohol may raise dementia risk

Date of Posting: 01-10-2025

Drinking any amount of alcohol could increase the risk of developing dementia, according to a UK study. The findings challenge the idea that light drinking could benefit brain health, researchers said.[subscribe] They also suggest that cutting Read More...