News Articles
New York detects more polio in wastewater
Date of Posting: 11-09-2022
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a disaster emergency in a bid to accelerate efforts to vaccinate residents against polio after the virus was detected in wastewater samples taken in four counties. Hochul's executive order followed t Read More...
A week to wait until next COVID stats
Date of Posting: 11-09-2022
At the height of COVID-19 the daily case numbers became popular viewing and reading, but in a sign the pandemic is easing, Australians will have to wait a week for the next set of statistics. New scheduling means a fresh round of figures, includin Read More...
Mental health coaches fill gaps in Vic
Date of Posting: 10-09-2022
Demand is surging for an early-intervention mental health support program aiming to help Victorians languishing on waiting lists to see clinical psychologists. NewAccess is a free, early-intervention mental health program run by Beyond Blue, in wh Read More...
'Empathy' key in Indigenous dementia care
Date of Posting: 10-09-2022
An empathetic approach must be at the centre of care for Indigenous Australians living with dementia, former Olympian and federal senator Nova Peris has told a major conference into the disease. Nearly 500, 000 Australians are living with dementia Read More...
Paracetamol link to child deaths in Gambia
Date of Posting: 10-09-2022
Gambia's government is investigating whether the deaths of dozens of young children from kidney failure are linked to a paracetamol syrup. A spike in cases of acute kidney injury among children under the age of five was detected in late July. Read More...
Regular conversations key to saving lives
Date of Posting: 08-09-2022
A simple chat with her mum was enough to save Seryn Adams' life. Ms Adams, 26, was struggling with depression and contemplating suicide when her mum picked up on the signs and had a life-changing conversation.[subscribe] "My mum is not Read More...
Locking lips can lead to gonorrhoea
Date of Posting: 08-09-2022
Locking lips can have some unexpected consequences, with a new Melbourne study finding gonorrhoea is being transmitted through kissing. Researchers surveyed more than 2000 men at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and found that throat gonorrhoea Read More...
Makers buoyed by malaria vaccine data
Date of Posting: 08-09-2022
Encouraging new data on a malaria vaccine from Oxford University bodes well for global effort to combat the mosquito-borne disease that kills a child every minute, its makers say. After decades of work, the only approved malaria vaccine, Mosquirix Read More...
Pregnant women face discrimination in Vic
Date of Posting: 07-09-2022
Pregnant women are being sacked, demoted or bullied in the workplace despite laws prohibiting discrimination, a Victorian study shows. Monash University researchers analysed calls from Victorians to employment rights service JobWatch between 2019 Read More...
Qld govt backs mental health on Medicare
Date of Posting: 07-09-2022
The Queensland government is backing calls for all mental health, drug and alcohol patients to have access to Medicare rebates for treatment and for those services to be expanded in GP clinics. The government has already pledged an extra $1.64 bil Read More...
Funding for new menopause diagnosis tool
Date of Posting: 07-09-2022
Women experiencing menopause will soon have access to new digital services to help improve their quality of care. A new digital tool will be developed by researchers to help general practitioners pick up early menopausal symptoms when women seek h Read More...
First COVID-19 jab more effective in males
Date of Posting: 06-09-2022
COVID-19 vaccines are more effective in males while females are more likely to experience negative side effects from their first jab, a new report shows. Australian and international researchers carried out a systematic review of all data publishe Read More...
Survey reveals decline of women's health
Date of Posting: 06-09-2022
Women are continuing to suffer from the health effects of the pandemic regardless of whether they have contracted COVID-19 or not, a new survey has found. The national survey - conducted by researchers for women's health organisation Jean Hail Read More...
Early detection key for eating disorders
Date of Posting: 06-09-2022
Leading mental health organisations have launched a campaign to educate Australians about the early signs of eating disorders and how to approach a difficult conversation with someone who is struggling. Eating Disorders Queensland CEO Belinda Chel Read More...
The 700km journey to have a baby
Date of Posting: 05-09-2022
Sharon Single puts it bluntly: "Out here, people have babies on the side of the road". The farmer, who lives near Coonamble in northern NSW, with her husband Tony, was determined the same thing wouldn't happen to her when she gave bi Read More...
Call for urgent climate-health action plan
Date of Posting: 05-09-2022
Health leaders are calling for the rapid rollout of a climate-health action plan as floods and extreme heat kill Australians. Forty health and medical organisations warn pressure on the health system from climate change is growing as additional de Read More...
Young SA children to get COVID-19 vaccine
Date of Posting: 05-09-2022
About 5000 South Australian children aged under five who have pre-existing health issues are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The doses are being rolled out from Monday under new national guidelines.[subscribe] Eligible children are Read More...
Teens more likely to vape than smoke
Date of Posting: 04-09-2022
A significant number of teens who try vaping have never smoked, a study suggests. Researchers from the Tobacco Free Research Institute Ireland said the proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds who had tried e-cigarettes had increased from 23 per cent in Read More...
Vic's triple-zero review recommendations
Date of Posting: 04-09-2022
KEY FINDINGS FROM THE REVIEW INTO VICTORIA'S EMERGENCY SERVICES TELECOMMUNICATIONS AUTHORITY (ESTA): * From January 2016 to November 2020, ESTA met and often exceeded its benchmark of answering 90 per cent of emergency ambulance calls within f Read More...
UK approves updated Pfizer COVID vaccine
Date of Posting: 04-09-2022
An updated COVID-19 booster vaccine has been approved for use in the UK. The second "bivalent" vaccine, made by Pfizer/BioNTech, targets two coronavirus variants and has been approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regu Read More...
NSW government frozen on ice inquiry
Date of Posting: 03-09-2022
Experts say Indigenous communities are paying the price for the NSW government's delayed response to the ice inquiry, two and a half years after it was delivered. The commissioner who led the inquiry, Professor Dan Howard, said he was distress Read More...
Aged care calls for workforce boost
Date of Posting: 03-09-2022
One of the hardest-hit sectors from the pandemic has called on the government to help fill a widening workforce shortage following a rise in the country's migration cap. Aged care peak bodies have called for more skilled migrants to work in th Read More...
Docs want details on cosmetic crackdown
Date of Posting: 03-09-2022
Australian doctors have called on health ministers across the country to quickly detail and act on proposed changes to the cosmetic surgery sector. Under proposed reforms cosmetic practitioners could be banned from using patient testimonials, face Read More...
Vic lifts work from home recommendation
Date of Posting: 02-09-2022
Victorians are being encouraged to return to the office, with the government lifting its work from home recommendation. With COVID-19 cases falling after last month's Omicron peak, Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the time was r Read More...
Concerns over NSW's rural health response
Date of Posting: 02-09-2022
NSW paramedics say the state government's response to a damning report into rural health falls short of what's needed for country ambulance services. Meanwhile, doctors want country practices given immediate tax breaks to help keep GPs in Read More...
Exercise, not meds, key to back pain fix
Date of Posting: 01-09-2022
Doctors are set to start prescribing exercise instead of medication and bed rest for lower back pain sufferers, as new clinical guidelines dismiss traditional treatments as inappropriate for most. The clinical care standard, released by the Austra Read More...
Cosmetic surgery's pathway to reform
Date of Posting: 01-09-2022
March 2021 The Senate refers an inquiry into the administration of registration and notifications by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee.[subscribe] October 2021 A joint i Read More...
Rise in non-harmful melanoma detection
Date of Posting: 01-09-2022
Scientists have identified a dramatic increase in the treatment of "pre-cancerous" melanomas that might not be harmful, according to new research. The research out of QIMR Berghofer suggests many pre-cancers detected during routine skin Read More...
Vic parliament passes mental health bill
Date of Posting: 31-08-2022
An overhaul of Victoria's mental health system has been enshrined in law, delivering a key recommendation of the state's historic royal commission into the sector. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Bill is designed to support a system that i Read More...
Booster targeting Omicron strain approved
Date of Posting: 31-08-2022
Australia's medical regulators have given a green light for a COVID vaccine that will target the Omicron variant. The Therapeutic Goods Administration granted provisional approval to Moderna's bivalent COVID vaccine, the first of its type Read More...
Products linked to infertility ruled safe
Date of Posting: 31-08-2022
A common ingredient found in beauty products, which has been linked to infertility, is still being sold in Australia despite being banned in Europe. The fragrance known as Lilial or Butylphenyl methylpropional is found in popular hair care product Read More...
Prepare for more pandemics now
Date of Posting: 30-08-2022
Australia's leading scientific organisation has called for a boost to virus research and vaccine manufacturing capabilities in a bid to future-proof the country from pandemics. In a new report, the CSIRO outlined 20 recommendations for what Au Read More...
Tea drinkers enjoy health benefits
Date of Posting: 30-08-2022
A cup of tea just got a bit more relaxing. Tea can be part of a healthy diet and people who drink tea may even be a little more likely to live longer than those who don't, according to a large study.[subscribe] Tea contains helpful substanc Read More...
Peak bodies pan free uni for Vic nurses
Date of Posting: 30-08-2022
Free university degrees for budding nurses in Victoria could exacerbate nationwide aged care and private hospital workforce shortages and pit states against each other, peak bodies warn. The Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA) and Aust Read More...
Businesses back lowering COVID isolation
Date of Posting: 29-08-2022
The peak body for small businesses has backed a proposal to lower the isolation requirements for people who have tested positive for COVID. Wednesday's national cabinet meeting between the prime minister and state and territory leaders is set Read More...
Playing instrument linked to sharper mind
Date of Posting: 29-08-2022
Researchers have found a link between children and teenagers who take up a musical instrument and improved thinking skills in old age. People with more experience of playing a musical instrument showed greater lifetime improvement on a test of cog Read More...
Two in three back junk food ad ban
Date of Posting: 29-08-2022
Two in three Australians support a ban on junk food ads during children's viewing hours, a survey indicates. One of Canberra's newest additions is using the survey to push for a ban and hopes to introduce a bill in parliament next year.[su Read More...
Free uni degrees for Vic nurses, midwives
Date of Posting: 28-08-2022
More than 10,000 budding nurses and midwives will have their university degrees paid off in full to boost staffing across Victoria's ailing health system. Thousands of nurses and midwives will be recruited and trained for free as part of a $27 Read More...
Vaccine boss unsure about annual boosters
Date of Posting: 28-08-2022
The boss of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is unsure whether annual COVID-19 boosters for otherwise healthy people are a good use of resources or money. A new booster jab will be offered to everyone in the UK aged 50 and over from next month, as Read More...
Olivia campaigned for cannabis to the end
Date of Posting: 28-08-2022
Right up until her death, Olivia Newton-John was lobbying for increased access to the drug she swore by. The actress, singer and cancer campaigner, who died earlier this month aged 73, grew cannabis on her ranch and used it to help alleviate her o Read More...
