Funding promised to save more lives of people living with rare cancers
Future generations who may be diagnosed with rare cancers have been offered hope this week with the promise of a $26m investment package into new research. The money will be spent on 19 clinical trials, with the aim to reverse tragically low survival rates through the creation of new and more effective treatments. The research…
NSW Government to fund free flu vaccinations for children
With last year’s flu season the most severe since 2009 (with over 12,000 confirmed cases in children under 5), the NSW Government announced this week (January 23, 2018), that from April 2018 it will fund free flu vaccinations for all NSW children aged between 6 months and five years of age who are not currently…
“Little miracle man”- Parents issue urgent public funding appeal to secure treatment for their little boy without eyes
Mother Nature dealt little Archie Innes and his loving family a cruel blow when he was born with an extremely rare condition, and an even rarer genetic mutation that rendered him without eyes at birth. Dubbed a little “miracle man” by his loving parents, pre-school teacher, Fiona, husband Stevie, and three-year old sister, Alba, Sydney,…
VIVA! Communications welcomes new team member
Entering the New Year, award-winning, independent health + wellness PR Agency, VIVA! Communications has expanded its Sydney team, and is thrilled to announce its latest hire, welcoming Brooke Williamson-Jones to VIVA! as a Junior Account Manager. Brooke joins VIVA! Communications from the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) where she held the position of Marketing…
Healthcare Megatrends to watch in 2018
Megatrends are fundamentally changing the way the world works. The three forces driving massive global healthcare trends include: unparalleled advances in technology; the sedentary lifestyles that goes hand in hand with economic development, globalisation and urbanisation; and the demographics of our aging population. The world is aging, and as a result there has been massive…
How is Australia responding to the medicinal cannabis industry?
Following the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use by the Federal Government in 2016, there has been plenty of discussion about whether the products, including oils, sprays, patches and tablets, will sink or swim both in Australia’s community and our economy. There’s not a day that goes by without the media talking about a…
New report cites 23 child deaths could have been prevented through appropriate vaccination
On Thursday, January 11, 2018, a major report entitled, ‘Child Deaths from Vaccine Preventable Infectious Diseases‘ between 2005 and 2014 was published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. Report authors – National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network and University of Sydney researchers – cited 54 child…
South Africa’s leading independent health communications agency joins GLOBALHealthPR
World’s largest independent healthcare communications network strengthens market-leading offering across Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe & Africa GLOBALHealthPR®, the largest independent health and science communications agency partnership worldwide, represented exclusively by VIVA! Communications in Australia, today welcomed Johannesburg-based F/NE to its rapidly expanding global network. Founded more than 18 years ago, F/NE has…
National Education Initiative launched to support youth mental health
Leading Australian mental health organisations have come together today to announce the launch of a new National Education Initiative transforming the country’s approach to youth care. From August 2018, beyondblue, headspace, and Early Childhood Australia will attempt to provide an end-to-end mental health framework in schools. The National Education Initiative has attracted AUD$45m in funding…
Researchers identify potential privacy breach with patient records
Researchers have been able to identify individuals in anonymous government healthcare data, potentially exposing private information from data published by the federal Department of Health in August 2016. According to ABC Online story, the changes were part of a move towards “open data” with the historical information including medical and pharmaceutical bills of about 10…