The Department of Human Services has just launched the Express Plus Medicare smartphone app, allowing parents to view their child’s immunisation history in the palm of their hand and to email the history to their child’s childcare centre or school. The app allows users to view their Medicare claim history and Medicare Safety Net balance and to…

Paracetamol poisoning is the leading cause of drug overdose among teenage (15-to-18 year old) girls, new figures reveal. According to the 2014 Health of Children and Young People in NSW report, 1,407 girls visited emergency departments in 2013 for illicit drug use, over-dose or poisoning – a significant surge from 951 in 2011. Temporarily gripped…

At the turn of the 20th Century, the average life expectancy of an Australian male was around 55.2 years, while the Australian woman could expect to live for an average of 58.8 years. Over the past 100 years, our life expectancy has increased dramatically. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in the past 20…

Cancers were the largest contributor to years of life lost in 2010 (35 per cent), according to a new report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). Cancer Council Australia is arguing more should be done to help curb the “unprecedented” levels of premature mortality through prevention, treatment, research and both patient…

Manufacturing issues with reformulated influenza vaccines will impede this year’s National Seasonal Influenza Immunisation Program. The Federal Department of Health has announced an inadequate supply of certain influenza vaccine brands will delay the conventional March 15 program roll-out. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation to formulate the 2015 Southern Hemisphere seasonal influenza vaccine with two…