News Articles
Geography of disease in regional Australia revealed
Date of Posting: 03-11-2023
PREVALENCE OF DISEASE IN REGIONAL AREAS: * Townsville had the highest private health claim rate for coronary heart disease, followed by Dubbo, western NSW, and Mackay, Queensland[subscribe] * Mackay had the highest prevalence of skin cancer, fo Read More...
Prevention better than cure to close rural health gap
Date of Posting: 02-11-2023
Country doctors have a saying: if you've been to one rural town, you've been to one rural town. "Not every town has the same health issues," Rural Doctors Association of Australia chief executive Peta Rutherford told AAP.[subscri Read More...
Mobile phone use may affect sperm count
Date of Posting: 02-11-2023
Using mobile phones may be linked to a lower sperm concentration and total sperm count, new research suggests. However, the Swiss study did not find any association between use of the devices and low sperm motility (movement) and morphology (shape Read More...
Children to be guarded by life-changing tech in ICUs
Date of Posting: 02-11-2023
Rooms designed to safeguard children undergoing intensive care in hospitals will help combat their risk of catching infectious diseases that could worsen their conditions. The NSW-first isolation rooms will be built into the cancer care wards and Read More...
Bulk-billed tests catch carriers of genetic conditions
Date of Posting: 01-11-2023
Rachael Casella and her husband Jonathan didn't know they both carry the gene for spinal muscular atrophy. They found out when their beloved daughter Mackenzie was diagnosed with the terminal condition at 10 weeks old.[subscribe] She died a Read More...
Arthritis cure hope as 'Gremlin' therapy shows promise
Date of Posting: 01-11-2023
Arthritis sufferers have longed for a cure for the debilitating disease and now a new treatment has Australian researchers confident of a breakthrough. Considered irreversible, osteoarthritis is caused by the degeneration of cartilage and other jo Read More...
Queensland's opposition ramps up pledge on ambulances
Date of Posting: 01-11-2023
Ambulance ramping in Queensland will have set targets that reduce numbers to 15 per cent under a state opposition election pledge. Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli said his party would prioritise reducing ramping across the state' Read More...
Sneaky salt shock prompts calls for mandatory limits
Date of Posting: 31-10-2023
Australians have a killer diet, prompting calls to restrict the amount of salt in certain foods. The average Australian consumes almost double the recommended daily salt level and it's costing the healthcare system $10 billion a year, accordin Read More...
Embrace Your Smile: The Amazing Benefits of Invisalign
Last Updated: 31-10-2023
Are you looking for a way to straighten your smile without the annoyance of traditional metal braces? Then, Invisalign might be right up your alley. This revolutionary orthodontic treatment is incredibly popular amongst both teens and adults who w Read More...
Import ban needed to deal with silicosis risk
Date of Posting: 30-10-2023
The federal government would be betraying workers if it palms off responsibility for silicosis deaths to state governments, the construction union says. The work safety watchdog released a report recommending a complete ban on the use of engineere Read More...
World's doctors call for urgent climate change action
Date of Posting: 29-10-2023
Global health bodies are demanding international governments urgently phase out fossil fuels and fast-track renewable energy as health professionals increasingly see patients suffering from harm caused by climate change. The world's leading GP Read More...
100,000 patients eligible for heart drug under PBS
Date of Posting: 29-10-2023
Almost 100,000 patients are set to save hundreds of dollars per year as access to a chronic heart failure treatment is widened under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. From November 1, criteria to access empagliflozin, known by the brand name Jar Read More...
AI and virtual reality saving lives in remote WA
Date of Posting: 29-10-2023
Doctors and nurses in remote Western Australia are using artificial intelligence and virtual reality to save lives. From a command centre in Perth, clinical experts provide vulnerable patients hundreds of kilometres away with round-the-clock care. Read More...
Asbestos disease danger 'far from over', says watchdog
Date of Posting: 27-10-2023
The federal agency set up to lead action on asbestos has warned the danger it poses is "far from over". A natural mineral, asbestos can can cause lung, ovary and larynx cancer or mesothelioma when those handling it breathe in the fibres. Read More...
Thousands of patients take up 60-day prescriptions
Date of Posting: 27-10-2023
Health officials have denied patients are being misled over prescription medicine changes. A cheaper medicines push by the federal government, which came into effect from September 1, enabled patients with chronic conditions to receive prescriptio Read More...
Climate crisis is a health emergency, says experts
Date of Posting: 27-10-2023
The World Health Organisation (WHO) should declare the climate and nature crisis a health emergency, according to a call to action from health experts across the world. More than 200 health journals published their warning on Wednesday to create m Read More...
Comprehensive Study Finds No Sign That Vapes Are A Gateway To Smoking
Date of Posting: 26-10-2023
Researchers at Queen Mary University, a London-based public research university, have been researching whether or not e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking. In what is now the most comprehensive study of the subject to date, the researchers found no Read More...
Six-hour ambulance wait while 'distressed and in pain'
Last Updated: 26-10-2023
A dementia home resident who died after being diagnosed with a perforated bowel waited six hours for an ambulance while distressed and in increasing pain. The 82-year-old woman's story is among dozens of submissions to a parliamentary inquiry Read More...
Surgery tweaks slash wait list times in NSW
Date of Posting: 26-10-2023
Half as many people are overdue for planned surgery in NSW compared with six months ago. The slashed waiting list comes after a team of experts found some common or high-volume procedures were unnecessarily undertaken with a one-night stay.[subscr Read More...
Funds for vape crackdown after 'horror' chemicals found
Date of Posting: 26-10-2023
A crackdown on vaping has been launched in Queensland after an inquiry discovered "horrifying" chemicals in e-cigarettes. The state government on Wednesday announced $28.4 million in funding to target vaping, after accepting all 14 recom Read More...
Ruby Princess liner negligent, misleading in COVID trip
Date of Posting: 25-10-2023
A cruise liner that went ahead with a voyage that led to a major COVID-19 outbreak misled passengers about safety and was negligent in its duty of care. In a landmark judgment representing the first successful cruise ship class action in the world Read More...
Suspected fake Ozempic hospitalises several in Austria
Date of Posting: 25-10-2023
Several people have been hospitalised in Austria after using suspected fake versions of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, the country's health safety body says, the first report of harm to users as a European hunt for counterfeiters widen Read More...
Traumatised veterans, racehorses benefit from therapy
Last Updated: 25-10-2023
Learning to get a 600 kilogram horse to move on command may be the unlikely key to helping some war veterans struggling with mental health, substance abuse and homelessness. The use of horsemanship training as an effective breakthrough for veteran Read More...
Dire need for pill testing service, Vic agencies say
Date of Posting: 23-10-2023
Victorian health and community agencies are calling on the state government to provide a drug checking service to prevent fatal overdoses. Seventy-seven organisations have signed a letter to the Victorian government, urging it to follow coroners c Read More...
Volunteers infected with Zika in hunt for vaccines
Last Updated: 22-10-2023
Researchers in the United States have shown for the first time they can safely and effectively infect human volunteers with Zika virus, a step towards learning more about the disease and developing vaccines and treatments. The study - known as a & Read More...
Researchers hope tongue test can help lick disease
Date of Posting: 22-10-2023
Our tongues help us savour life but they could also help to save our lives. Examining the colour of a patient's tongue is highly effective at diagnosing diseases such as diabetes, liver disease and cancer, a study has found.[subscribe] Usin Read More...
Study links consistent lack of sleep to depression
Last Updated: 20-10-2023
Consistently sleeping less than five hours a night could increase the risk of depression, British research suggests. Poor sleep has been considered a side-effect of mental ill health in the past, but the new study found the link between sleep and Read More...
Lack of dental care leaves DV survivors missing teeth
Date of Posting: 20-10-2023
Some women escaping domestic violence are forced to live with missing teeth for upwards of three years because of barriers to affordable dental care. A Senate committee into the provision and access of dental services has heard Australia has one o Read More...
Study suggests two serves of red meat ups diabetes risk
Date of Posting: 20-10-2023
Eating just two servings of red meat per week may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, new research suggests. It also found that replacing red meat with plant-based protein sources, such as nuts and legumes, may reduce the chances of d Read More...
Single-patient hospital record to roll out in NSW first
Date of Posting: 19-10-2023
A streamlined patient record system digitally connecting medical records is set to be rolled out across NSW in a state first. The single system will consolidate the dozens of medical filing and management systems in use across NSW Health.[subscrib Read More...
Riding the Waves of Change: How Radiology is Shaping Up For the Future
Last Updated: 18-10-2023
We're not in the 20th century anymore, and the world of radiology isn't what it used to be. It's like we've hit the fast-forward button, and advancements are popping up left, right, and centre. Just picture this: radiologists no longe Read More...
Parents, teachers weigh in to stop vaping in schools
Date of Posting: 18-10-2023
With more young people vaping and schools at a loss how to prevent it, the NSW government will host a panel of experts and interest groups to help guide policy measures. The state's first Vaping Roundtable will bring together principals, stude Read More...
Country NSW faces wait for drug-user units in hospitals
Date of Posting: 17-10-2023
A safe escape from the frenzy of emergency departments will be available for Sydneysiders experiencing acute drug-induced disturbances from next year. But regional areas will have to wait longer for the specialised hospital units after Labor faile Read More...
Cancer patients found after review into banned surgeon
Date of Posting: 17-10-2023
Seven people have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer after an investigation into their surgeon sparked a fresh assessment of almost 2000 patients. Earlier this year, Safer Care Victoria issued a colonoscopy recall for patients who had the proce Read More...
Older Australians encouraged to receive free vaccine for Shingles
Date of Posting: 16-10-2023
Australians aged 50 years and older are much more at risk of developing Shingles, a painful viral rash. In fact, according to the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) states that 70% of Shingles cases occur in people age Read More...
NSW needs to 'catch up' on mental health services
Date of Posting: 16-10-2023
High rates of staff burn-out and lower funding levels than other states are impacting mental health services in NSW and costing those in need. Doctors, nurses and psychiatrists weighed in on Monday at the second day of hearings at a NSW parliament Read More...
How to buy Melatonin in Australia
Last Updated: 16-10-2023
While melatonin pills are available in Australia, for most people you'll need a prescription from your doctor. Since 2021, a form of melatonin became available from pharmacies without a prescription, but only for people aged over 55. The move Read More...
Getting under the world's skin with Aussie 'cosmedics'
Date of Posting: 15-10-2023
A beauty therapist who once worked out of a suburban garage is spearheading a multimillion-dollar "cosmedics" push into the clinics and day spas of Europe. Maria Enna-Cocciolone has become the first woman founder to win the backing of th Read More...
LGBTQI mental health in 'state of crisis'
Date of Posting: 15-10-2023
The first survey of LGBTQI people's wellbeing in Australia shows rates of mental illness double to quadruple that of the general population. The latest National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing releas e, with data from 2020 to 2022, gives Read More...
Apology after rape victim turned away from hospital
Date of Posting: 13-10-2023
A rape victim turned away by a central Queensland hospital later received an apology via text, the state opposition says. Health Minister Shannon Fentiman on Thursday "unreservedly apologised" to the woman who did not receive appropriate Read More...
