2018 World Down Syndrome Day
Today, the United Nations Human Rights Office in Geneva, the Palais des Nations, will host the 2018 World Down Syndrome Day. Down Syndrome International will this year focus on encouraging those with Down Syndrome to speak up about “What I bring to my community”, aiming to highlight the contribution of those with Down Syndrome in political and employment domains, their gifts and strengths and what enables them…
Handwashing: we may be performing this important preventative step incorrectly
Handwashing is ingrained in most individuals from a young age. It acts as an important preventative step against bacteria and viruses. In the lead up to winter, and therefor flu season, it’s even more of a necessity. Handwashing properly and for an adequate amount of time will reduce the risk of germs or pathogens. Most…
Australia set to become first country to eradicate cervical cancer
International Women’s Day is coming up this Thursday, and we at VIVA! love to celebrate women’s health. This week, an exciting study by the International Papillomavirus Society has revealed a dramatic drop in the rate of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in women aged up to 24 years, from 22.7% down to just 1.1% in the…
Could we soon see the rise of rehabilitation clinics catering to other types of addiction?
As most will know, drug, alcohol, and gambling addictions are commonly treated in rehabilitation clinics. At VIVA! we’ve worked with DARA Rehab helping those afflicted by the aforementioned addictions to seek the help they need. In our increasingly digitally-focused society, however, other addictions are beginning to arise. As a result, the World Health Organisation (WHO)…
Rare Disease Day
It’s that time of year again when we celebrate Rare Disease Day on the last day of February. It’s a cause close to our hearts at VIVA! Communications after we’ve had the pleasure of working on a number of campaigns to raise awareness of a variety of rare diseases. Despite their name, one in 20…
The VIVA! team is turning to olive leaf extract this autumn
As February draws to a close, the cooler days will inevitably begin to outnumber the warmer ones. Ushered in alongside the chilly temperatures will be viruses such as the flu and rhinovirus (the common cold). At VIVA! we’re not only dedicated to inspiring healthy lifestyles through our PR work in the general community, but we’re…
How’s your mental health this Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day – the day of love. A time when you feel overcome with warm feelings for your significant other. While being in love is a wonderful thing, for many people not in a relationship, Valentine’s Day can play a little bit of havoc on your mental health. Over the years, our team at VIVA!…
MedReleaf Australia enters local medicinal cannabis market
An Australian joint venture company associated with one of Canada’s leading licensed producers of medical cannabis (MedReleaf Corp) has entered the local Australian medicinal cannabis market after securing ‘cultivation and production’ and ‘import’ licenses from the Federal Government’s Office of Drug Control (ODC). MedReleaf Australia will import medicinal cannabis from MedReleaf Corp (which has a…
The implications of the OTC up-scheduling of codeine-containing medicines for Australians
Less than 24 hours since low-dose OTC codeine-containing medicines have been restricted to prescription only (Schedule 4), pharmacy is already raising concerns over potential consumer backlash. Fairfax reports an estimated 153,000 Australians use low-dose codeine-containing medicines at rates indicative of dependence, which the government has also dubbed as alarmingly high. By enforcing the up-scheduling of low-dose…
New blood test detects Alzheimer’s disease years earlier
Dementia has now taken the place of cancer as the second leading cause of death in Australia after heart disease. A team of scientists in Australia and Japan have developed the world’s first accurate blood test for detecting Alzheimer’s disease, which can identify the presence of the disease up to 20 years before symptoms begin.…