World champion athlete and mental health advocate, Michael Phelps, appointed to Medibio Board
Medibio Limited is an ASX listed medical technology company that has developed an effective, objective test to help with the diagnosis of depression, chronic stress and other mental health disorders. Involving more than 15 years of research at University of Western Australia, the test uses patented (and patent pending) panel circadian, sleep and autonomic system…
Call for FluTracking participants to help curb the spread of influenza
With sniffle season here, Australians – particularly those of Indigenous descent are being urged to subscribe to an online health surveillance system designed to stop the spread of influenza (flu) by detecting epidemics of the infectious disease. Statistics reveal more than 30,000 Australians have already participated in FluTracking, however fewer than 400 of them are…
Modified antibiotic could soon be the key in the fight against superbugs
In what could be one of the biggest breakthrough in the world of science – US scientists have re-engineered a vital antibiotic with the purpose to wipe out one of the world’s most threatening superbugs. The modified and improved antibiotic – vancomycin – designed to be ultra-tough and able to fight bacteria that are resistant…
Does your postcode put you at risk of developing cancer?
Recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reveals your postcode can put you at risk of developing a certain type of cancer. Some of the cancer hot spots in NSW include Nepean Blue Mountains, Murrumbidgee, and Central and Eastern Sydney. Recorded rates of melanoma for NSW North Coast residents were approximately…
Federal Health Minister allocates substantial funding to boost clinical trials in Australia
On Friday, May 19, 2017, Federal Health Minister, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP announced an additional $33 million in funding for clinical trials in Australia. Mr Hunt delivered the announcement at the Australian Clinical Trial Alliance’s National Trial of the Year Awards, hosted at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, just prior to the International Clinical…
Will the battle for full immunisation coverage be won & lost on Twitter?
Barely a day goes by without an Australian media outlet publishing a story about vaccination. Just last week, we discussed on the VIVA! blog how Brisbane’s well-heeled inner city suburbs have recorded some of the lowest vaccination rates in Australia. With the Federal Government proposing in March that State and Territory governments should ban unvaccinated…
Australians unwilling to protect against fatal lung infection
Three-in-four Australian adults do not consider ‘life-threatening consequences’ as sufficient motivation to vaccinate against pneumococcal pneumonia. This is according to Lung Foundation Australia research released today (May 16, 2017) to mark Know Pneumonia Day. According to respiratory physician and Lung Foundation Australia Respiratory Infectious Disease Committee Chair, Associate Professor Lucy Morgan, Sydney, Australians are not being…
Budget 2017: What it means for Australia’s health
Budget highlights for health: “The Government will establish the Medicare Guarantee Fund to secure the ongoing funding of the Medicare Benefits Schedule and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme into the future. “In this Budget, the Government will provide $1.0 billion to reintroduce indexation for certain items on the MBS. This will commence with General Practitioner (GP)…
Poor childhood vaccination report card for inner-city Brisbane suburb
Brisbane’s well-heeled inner city suburbs have recorded some of the lowest vaccination rates in Australia. According to recently published Federal Health Department data reported by the Courier Mail, inner city Brisbane suburbs, including West End, South Brisbane, Highgate Hill, New Farm and Fortitude Valley have vaccination rates as low as 84.35 per cent for children…
Dermatologists debate the use of botulinum toxin in young Australian women
On May 8, 2017, the Australasian College of Dermatologists (ACD) performed a Botox-centred debate at their Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) in Sydney. The debate, involving ACD dermatologists, Dr Adrian Lim and Dr Michael Freeman, focused on the use of Botox in healthy women in their early 20’s. A media release [May 8, 2017] from the…