News Articles
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Spain
Date of Posting: 22-07-2022
A middle-aged man has been admitted to hospital in Spain's Castile and Leon region after being diagnosed with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), authorities say. The disease, which has a fatality rate between 10 per cent and 40 per cent Read More...
Key findings from ABS mental health study
Date of Posting: 22-07-2022
KEY FINDINGS FROM NATIONAL STUDY OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING *The survey of 5500 people between the ages of 16 to 85 revealed the extent of mental ill-health in Australia. Results were converted into estimates for the rest of the population.[su Read More...
Aust birth rate at more than 10-year low
Date of Posting: 22-07-2022
Australia has reported its lowest birth rate in more than a decade, as the average age of first-time parents continues to increase. The country's birth rate fell significantly between 2007 and 2020, from 66 per 1000 people, to 56 per 1000 peop Read More...
Pill testing program urged for SA
Date of Posting: 21-07-2022
South Australia has been urged to follow the ACT and establish a pill and drug testing clinic. Australia's first testing site has opened in Canberra in a six-month pilot program to allow people to test drugs and pills free of charge.[subscribe Read More...
Shortages put disability patients at risk
Date of Posting: 21-07-2022
Disability service providers are grappling with significant staff shortages and it's putting patients at risk, as well as delaying workers' post-lockdown travel plans. The Australian Services Union, which represents disability workers, has Read More...
Fats linked to men's bladder cancer risk
Date of Posting: 21-07-2022
Consuming too much saturated and animal fats could increase the risk of bladder cancer in men, research suggests. A study funded by the World Cancer Research Fund found that while men increased their risk of cancer through unhealthy fats, women wh Read More...
Vic CHO pushed return to working from home
Date of Posting: 20-07-2022
Victoria's Acting Chief Health Officer Ben Cowie proposed a return to working from home earlier this month amid a fresh wave of COVID cases, documents show. During a meeting with new Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, Mr Cowie strongly recommen Read More...
Is sunscreen affecting our vitamin D?
Date of Posting: 20-07-2022
Whether or not wearing sunscreen prevents healthy vitamin D production will be examined in a major new study in Australia. The first ever large-scale trial is looking for about 500 volunteers to investigate how applying SPF 50+ sunscreen affects t Read More...
Kids 'hidden victims' of family violence
Date of Posting: 20-07-2022
Children are the hidden victims of family violence, which places them at significant risk of mental health problems, an Australian study has found. The report by Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety has found child Read More...
Sydney nurses feel 'frustration, despair'
Date of Posting: 19-07-2022
More walk-outs by Sydney nurses are likely after staff at two major hospitals rallied over what they claim are chronic staffing shortages, while the NSW government concedes the health system is under pressure. The Blacktown and Westmead hospital e Read More...
Virtual ED doubled to ease Vic ambo crunch
Date of Posting: 19-07-2022
A Victorian hospital's virtual emergency department program will be doubled in a bid to relieve COVID-related pressure on sick and tired paramedics. Hundreds more patients a day will soon be able to access a video consultation from home with a Read More...
Study predicts Aust pollen high and lows
Date of Posting: 19-07-2022
Brisbane's asthma and hayfever sufferers can expect to sneeze and cough more than their southern city counterparts. A study that tracked shifts in pollen seasonality, biodiversity and allergy impact has found Brisbane has multiple summer-autum Read More...
Diet lowers stroke risk more than surgery
Date of Posting: 18-07-2022
A better diet, more exercise and quitting smoking can do more to reduce the risk of stroke in Australians than surgery. Carotid artery stenosis occurs when fatty "plaques" build up in the neck arteries that help deliver blood to the brai Read More...
Aussie eyes suffering pandemic screen time
Date of Posting: 18-07-2022
Most Australians have at least one problem with their eyes with almost one in three admitting too much screen time during the pandemic affected their vision. While lockdowns across the country slowed the spread of COVID, it more than doubled the a Read More...
Listeria fear from smoked fish products
Date of Posting: 18-07-2022
Pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised Australians are being warned to avoid a range of smoked fish products over listeria concerns. A national recall is being made on five Harris Smokehouse products over fears of contamination.[subscribe] Sout Read More...
Emergency meeting over record UK heat
Date of Posting: 17-07-2022
UK ministers will hold an emergency meeting after meteorologists warned of record high temperatures in England that could put lives at risk. Cabinet Office minister Kit Malthouse will chair the meeting to discuss the escalating heatwave, a Governm Read More...
More Vic hospital staff to curb COVID wave
Date of Posting: 17-07-2022
Victoria's ailing public hospitals will be topped up with an extra 400 health workers amid rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations. A $162 million package to respond to the emergence of the Omicron BA.4 and 5 variants leaving more people in Read More...
Antiviral scripts via GP phone consults
Date of Posting: 17-07-2022
Medicare will cover long consultations by GPs to prescribe COVID-19 antivirals within days. Health Minister Mark Butler says the new temporary MBS items will include a longer consultation by phone so antivirals can be issued safely and to as many Read More...
Vulnerable NSW communities get free RATs
Date of Posting: 16-07-2022
Vulnerable communities across NSW can access 10 free rapid antigen tests over three months, with the state expanding its concession program as COVID-19 cases surge. The government will provide free RATs to vulnerable communities by expanding its e Read More...
Govt reverses plan to stop pandemic leave
Date of Posting: 16-07-2022
The federal government has reinstated the $750 pandemic isolation payment following widespread criticism. Speaking after a fast-tracked national cabinet meeting on Saturday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said continuing the payment was appropria Read More...
US House backs abortion, law unlikely
Date of Posting: 16-07-2022
US politicians have voted to restore abortion rights nationwide in the first legislative response to the Supreme Court's landmark decision overturning Roe v Wade. The bill has little chance of becoming law, with the necessary support lacking i Read More...
COVID-19 led 25m kids to miss key vaccines
Date of Posting: 15-07-2022
About 25 million children around the world missed out on routine vaccinations that protect against life-threatening diseases last year, as the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to disrupt health care globally. That is two million Read More...
More regions to get health worker priority
Date of Posting: 15-07-2022
The federal government will direct more health workers to rural areas, improve mental health services and break down barriers to equitable health care for Australians living in the bush. The assistant minister for rural and regional health, mental Read More...
Women have more COVID fear than men
Date of Posting: 15-07-2022
A "stark" worry gap has emerged since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with women twice as likely as men to be extremely worried about their lives, research suggests. Women are now disproportionately bearing the burden of increased Read More...
Health fears over human sunscreen testing
Date of Posting: 14-07-2022
Human sunscreen testing should be phased out because it poses health risks and ethical problems, experts say. Australian scientists are backing the development of new, "safer" reproducible human-free sunscreen testing because they believ Read More...
Indigenous health leaders front inquiry
Date of Posting: 14-07-2022
The head of a national leadership body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health will give evidence at the disability royal commission. The inquiry is examining the treatment and experiences of Indigenous people with disabilities in remote Read More...
Call for renewed anti-smoking message
Date of Posting: 14-07-2022
More than 250,000 Australian smokers will die from cancer in the next 25 years, advocates warn, as they lament the country's lack of anti-smoking campaigns. Their prediction stems from expert modelling, ringing alarm bells for the 11 per cent Read More...
How CPD can support you to grow your career in Allied Health
Date of Posting: 13-07-2022
Whether you’re a seasoned Allied Health professional with years of experience under your belt, or you’ve recently graduated and are finding your feet within the industry, Continued Professional Development (CPD) is an important part of yo Read More...
US government launches abortion task force
Date of Posting: 13-07-2022
The US Justice Department has unveiled a new task force to protect women's reproductive healthcare freedom, after the Supreme Court last month overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling which recognised the constitutional right to abortion. Read More...
People with diabetes at risk during COVID
Date of Posting: 13-07-2022
People living with diabetes had an increased risk of complication and death during the COVID-19 pandemic, new data shows. More than 40 per cent of COVID-related hospitalisations in 2020-21 had one or more diagnosed comorbid conditions, such as typ Read More...
Study paints grim silica dust picture
Date of Posting: 13-07-2022
Up to 10,000 people in Australia are predicted to develop lung cancer in their lifetimes from silica dust exposure, according to a new study. The Curtin University research, commissioned by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, also found that m Read More...
Vigorous exercise 'can't outrun poor diet'
Date of Posting: 12-07-2022
There's bad news for anyone who thinks vigorous exercise can compensate for a diet that favours junk food over fruit and veg. Research led by the University of Sydney has found intense exercise doesn't counteract the detrimental effects of Read More...
New COVID pills block virus from spreading
Date of Posting: 12-07-2022
New antiviral drugs prevent COVID-19 from multiplying in the body and can ultimately save lives, experts say. The oral medicines Lagevrio (molnupiravir) and Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir and ritonavir) are effective in treating adults who are at risk of Read More...
New diabetes tech helps ease mental burden
Date of Posting: 12-07-2022
Five years ago, Ashlea Davidson was told by her doctor she would need to take insulin every day for the rest of her life. The shock diagnosis left her reeling.[subscribe] "The emotional toll is way bigger than anything else that I've d Read More...
Millions to get access to COVID treatments
Date of Posting: 10-07-2022
Eligibility for potentially lifesaving COVID-19 antiviral treatments is to be widened. Health Minister Mark Butler says Australians over 70 who test positive to the virus will be able to access antivirals on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme from Read More...
Jess breathes easy, thanks to lung donor
Date of Posting: 10-07-2022
She couldn't breathe, couldn't eat, couldn't move. Twenty-four-year-old Jess Ackland's lungs had collapsed and she was dying.[subscribe] "I probably only had another day or so left in me," Ms Ackland, now 32, tells AAP Read More...
PM urges eligible to get second booster
Date of Posting: 10-07-2022
The federal government hasn't received any advice on retightening COVID-19 mandates, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says, as evasive new Omicron variants fuel a rise in cases. More than 37,000 new infections and 77 deaths were reported across Read More...
Risk from new COVID strains uncertain
Date of Posting: 09-07-2022
Evasive new Omicron variants are fuelling a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations across Australia but experts say it is too early to know if they cause more severe disease. With data still to come for the ACT and Northern Territory, more th Read More...
SA ambulance ramping at record levels
Date of Posting: 09-07-2022
Ambulance ramping has reached record levels in South Australia with the delays increasing pressure on the state's already stretched public hospital network. The latest figures show ambulances were ramped outside hospitals for a total of 3838 h Read More...
SA to expand respiratory clinics
Date of Posting: 09-07-2022
South Australia will expand four respiratory clinics across Adelaide amid rising COVID-19 and influenza cases. The clinics, originally established for coronavirus assessment, testing, and vaccination, will now cater to anyone with mild to moderate Read More...
