News Articles
Kids capable of COVID self-testing
Date of Posting: 27-08-2022
School-aged children can test themselves for COVID-19 with almost as much accuracy as healthcare workers. All it takes is some simple instructions, according to a US study, with participants aged between four and 14 given guidance through a video Read More...
Australia helps rid Vanuatu of trachoma
Date of Posting: 27-08-2022
Vanuatu has completely eradicated the blindness-causing disease trachoma, thanks to a mass simultaneous treatment by Australia's Fred Hollows Foundation across the island nation. It is the first Pacific country to do so, following funding from Read More...
Moderna sues Pfizer,BioNTech over vaccine
Date of Posting: 27-08-2022
Moderna is suing Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech for patent infringement in the development of the first COVID-19 vaccine approved in the United States, alleging they copied technology that Moderna developed years before the pandemic. The l Read More...
Good sleepers less likely to suffer stroke
Date of Posting: 26-08-2022
People who sleep well are less likely to suffer strokes, a new study suggests. Researchers say suboptimal sleep is linked to a heightened risk of heart disease and stroke.[subscribe] And nine in 10 people do not usually get a good night's s Read More...
Pandemic anxiety could drain $7b from NSW
Date of Posting: 26-08-2022
Rising rates of anxiety and depression caused by COVID-19 lockdowns could sap up to $7.4 billion from the NSW economy by 2025, a report suggests. The costing comes as an estimated 171,615 more people in NSW reported mental health issues consistent Read More...
COVID pill 'no benefit to younger adults'
Date of Posting: 26-08-2022
Pfizer's COVID-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death for high-risk older users, a study has found. In a 109,000-patient study in Israel, researchers found Read More...
Early-warning tech success in CSIRO study
Date of Posting: 25-08-2022
CSIRO scientists have led a study to develop a machine learning tool that gives medical professionals early warning of a patient's deteriorating condition. The study was done in collaboration with Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital and Read More...
Money struggles link to poor mental health
Date of Posting: 25-08-2022
Australians grappling with financial challenges are at least twice as likely to face mental health issues than others, research suggests. The findings support anecdotal evidence money struggles can lead to stress, diagnosable mental health conditi Read More...
Over-testing for Vitamin D costs $87m
Date of Posting: 25-08-2022
Unnecessary testing for levels of vitamin D is costing Australia's healthcare system about $87 million a year and contributing to the sector's carbon footprint, according to Australian researchers. The researchers found in 2020, more than Read More...
Vic coalition vows regional cancer centre
Date of Posting: 24-08-2022
A new cancer centre and health worker training school would be built in regional Victoria under another health-related election pledge by the state opposition. The Victorian Liberals and Nationals on Tuesday vowed to spend $100 million on developi Read More...
Caesarean birth adds cardiovascular risk
Date of Posting: 24-08-2022
Australian children born via caesarean section have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and are more likely to be overweight or obese, according to a new study. The proportion of C-section births has risen from 18.5 per cent in 199 Read More...
Smoking ban expands across Melbourne
Last Updated: 24-08-2022
Smoking and vaping will soon be banned across more of Melbourne's CBD. Melbourne City Council is investigating how to extend smoke-free zones across train station entrances and council-owned buildings.[subscribe] The ban is currently in pla Read More...
Women hit harder than men during pandemic
Date of Posting: 23-08-2022
Queensland research has exposed the gender reality of COVID - finding that Australian women have been hit harder by the pandemic than men. While more men have died from the virus, women suffered more in terms of overall financial and mental well-b Read More...
UK to pilot smaller doses of monkeypox jab
Date of Posting: 23-08-2022
The United Kingdom is following the United States and European Union in making the most of limited supply of the monkeypox vaccine by administering smaller doses of the shot, health officials say. Three National Health Service sites are set to beg Read More...
Kidney replacement therapy on the rise
Date of Posting: 23-08-2022
The number of Australians receiving kidney replacement therapy has more than doubled over the past two decades, new data shows. Kidney replacement therapy numbers jumped from 11,700 to 27,700 from 2000 to 2020, showing chronic kidney disease (CKD) Read More...
NSW reports local case of monkeypox
Date of Posting: 22-08-2022
A NSW resident has been infected with monkeypox in their home state. The majority of cases so far have been acquired overseas but the new transmission has prompted a warning from state health authorities.[subscribe] NSW Health executive directo Read More...
NT Health issues highest alert after fire
Last Updated: 22-08-2022
The Northern Territory is under its highest level health alert after a warehouse fire has potentially destroyed crucial hospital supplies. A "code brown" has been issued for the next 24 to 48 hours, sparking a system wide response.[subsc Read More...
Emergency response boost for SA
Date of Posting: 22-08-2022
More emergency call takers and dispatchers have started work in South Australia in a move to ease pressure on the state's ambulance service. The government has employed 18 call takers and 10 additional dispatchers after a 14 per cent increase Read More...
Increased health risks working from home
Date of Posting: 21-08-2022
Australians embracing the post-pandemic trend of working from home could be at increased risk of injury, experts say. Workers using the kitchen table, the sofa or even the bed as a home office could be risking back problems and spinal injuries, ac Read More...
Concern over Vic health system pressure
Date of Posting: 21-08-2022
Victoria's health minister admits she was concerned after two vulnerable patients were forced to wait hours inside a makeshift tent outside the emergency department at a major hospital this week. Mary-Anne Thomas acknowledged the "discomf Read More...
World-first screening for cancer risk
Date of Posting: 21-08-2022
The lives of countless young Australians could be saved by a world-first DNA screening study which can detect increased risk of some cancers and heart disease. Melbourne's Monash University will lead a national screening program of at least 10 Read More...
5 Things to Understand About the Future of Mental Health Nursing in Australia
Last Updated: 21-08-2022
Some of Australia’s brightest mental healthcare providers recently gathered, along with a group of healthcare consumers and allied healthcare professionals, to investigate and discuss the future of mental health nursing in Australia and beyond. Read More...
Rising Vic monkeypox cases prompt warning
Date of Posting: 20-08-2022
A fresh monkeypox warning has been issued in Victoria as cases rise across the state. As of Saturday, 40 monkeypox infections have been reported in Victoria. That's up from 22 cases on August 4.[subscribe] Nationally, there have been 89 cas Read More...
Apps helped people stay fit amid pandemic
Date of Posting: 20-08-2022
Fitness trackers on mobiles helped people stay healthy amid pandemic lockdowns but the devices also added stress with information overload about COVID-19, a study has found. An article published in the latest issue of the journal PLOS Digital Heal Read More...
Gender bias warning over women's back pain
Date of Posting: 20-08-2022
Australians face potentially devastating consequences when doctors sideline women's health concerns, experts say. It comes as young women are warned not to ignore the symptoms of a painful joint condition commonly associated with men.[subscrib Read More...
Half of cancer deaths down to known risks
Date of Posting: 19-08-2022
Smoking, drinking alcohol, being overweight and other known risk factors were responsible for nearly 4.45 million cancer deaths around the world in 2019, new research suggests. The study is the first to estimate how a list of 34 risk factors contr Read More...
Smoking campaigns take back seat to vaping
Date of Posting: 19-08-2022
Anti-tobacco campaigns are running out of puff, with a new report indicating a shift in public health campaign funding and attention to e-cigarettes. A fresh study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health interviewed 31 Read More...
Nicotine vapes easy to find in Qld
Last Updated: 19-08-2022
The ease of buying nicotine vapes in Queensland is in the spotlight as the Australian Medical Association issues the state government with its Dirty Ashtray award. Australians have needed a prescription to legally access e-cigarettes containing ni Read More...
Heatwaves Australia's deadliest disasters
Date of Posting: 19-08-2022
Australia's blistering heatwaves kill many more people than any other natural hazard, and more can be done to prepare for future events, new research says. Hospital emergency and ambulance demand, as well as mortality, increases significantly Read More...
Victoria will not expand abortion services
Date of Posting: 18-08-2022
The Victorian Labor government has voted with conservative MPs to stop the expansion of access to abortion services and voluntary assisted dying. The defeated bill would have forced all hospitals which receive funding from the state to offer the p Read More...
Queensland to examine pill test trial
Date of Posting: 18-08-2022
The risks and benefits of a Queensland pill testing trial are being worked through after the state's mental health commissioner noted it could help save lives. Health Minister Yvette D'Ath on Wednesday said several issues must be considere Read More...
Aust children distressed by news coverage
Date of Posting: 17-08-2022
Australian children exposed to news coverage are facing significant rates of distress, prompting expert warnings for parents and carers to keep an open dialogue about current events. Nearly one in three children have felt upset by news coverage in Read More...
COVID-positive Victorians to vote by phone
Date of Posting: 17-08-2022
Victorians who test positive for COVID-19 will be permitted to vote by telephone in the upcoming state election. New regulations announced on Tuesday will grant people subject to isolation and other public health restrictions access to electronic- Read More...
Relocation sparks PTSD in bushfire victims
Date of Posting: 17-08-2022
People forced to relocate after a bushfire are at a higher risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of Adelaide and Flinders University spoke with people affected by the 2005 Eyr Read More...
Victorian hospital exclusion-zone push
Date of Posting: 16-08-2022
Exclusion zones could be set up outside Victorian hospitals following anti-vaccination demonstrations at the weekend. Premier Daniel Andrews said his government will look at any proposals about how the zones could work, but is not considering form Read More...
Australian virus cases close to 10 million
Date of Posting: 16-08-2022
Australia could register its 10 millionth case of COVID-19 by the end of August. The nation is also closing in on 13,000 deaths from coronavirus since the pandemic began in early 2020.[subscribe] As of Tuesday, the total number of cases racked Read More...
Australia's WWII nurses honoured in Darwin
Date of Posting: 16-08-2022
As more than 20 Australian nurses marched into the sea at Bangka Island with machine guns aimed at their backs, matron Irene Drummond stoically told her colleagues she was proud of and loved them all. Seconds later all but one of the cohort were d Read More...
Pregnant mum 'failed' by Vic healthcare
Date of Posting: 15-08-2022
Healthcare systems failed pregnant mum Annie O'Brien and her family have been burdened with investigating what led to her death, her father has told an inquest. Five years to the day after the 37-year-old died, her father Brian Moylan has urge Read More...
Melbourne uni to host mRNA vaccine factory
Date of Posting: 15-08-2022
Moderna's vaccine production factory will be based at Melbourne's Monash University under a 10-year deal inked with both state and federal governments. Up to 100 million mRNA vaccine doses will be produced each year under the manufacturing Read More...
Greens in SA push for free school lunches
Date of Posting: 15-08-2022
The South Australian government should provide free school lunches to reduce child poverty, encourage healthy eating and ease cost of living pressures, the Greens say. Greens MP Robert Simms says with thousands of South Australian families living Read More...
