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…
DEVELOPING STORY: FAIRFAX MEDIA JOURNALISTS ON STRIKE
Fairfax media has announced publicly on Wednesday, May 3, 2017, it will cut 125 full-time staff members as the digital world continues to put pressure on the media industry. With a significant amount of journalists on-strike, the impact this will have on the PR industry is huge given Australians access a Fairfax article at least…
Federal Government promises more funding for vaccination campaigns as research shows parents still worrying
Federal Health Minister, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, announced this weekend, Saturday April 22, 2017, that the Government would be rolling out a new AUD$5.5m immunisation awareness campaign with the aim of encouraging parents and carers to get their children vaccinated. While general vaccination rates in Australian children are good and range between 90 to…
Federal Health Minister urges Aussies to get vaccinated before flu season kicks in
Last Thursday, April 13, 2017, Federal Health Minister, The Hon. Greg Hunt MP, received his annual flu shot, urging other Australians to do the same. “High vaccination rates contribute to a healthy society. That’s why in 2017, through the National Immunisation Program (NIP), the Turnbull Government will provide more than 4.5 million doses of the…
Study finds increasing healthcare spend not linked to improved health outcomes
Data from a new meta-analysis, has demonstrated that a higher healthcare spend has done little to improve key health outcomes. The authors looked at 65 different studies, conducted between 1965-2014, surrounding healthcare spending and its impact on health outcomes. The study conducted by researchers from Deakin University, titled, The impact of healthcare spending on health…
Seven things people commonly get wrong when presenting to media
1. Not preparing enough You need to know your message – and you need to make sure it’s consistently bridged to. 2. Ignoring the audience You need to factor in who you are talking to and what they are interested in. 3. Being too verbose No one likes to be talked at, or hear endless…
Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute launches Wellness Plan recommending age-related vaccinations as a preventative health measure
On March 19, 2017, The Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne launched a publication designed to help Australians lead long, healthy and productive lives. Entitled ‘The Baker IDI Wellness Plan’, the publication includes a healthy action plan, healthy recipes and meal plans, tips for developing healthy habits, and a checklist of medical test recommendations…
Crowdsourcing participants for genetic research – Australia’s Science Channel
VIVA! Communications wishes to thank Australia’s Science Channel for producing a fab video highlighting the importance of crowdsourcing for recruiting volunteers to the Australian arm of the world’s largest Genetics of Depression Study to date. Watch here: See more from the Australia Science Channel here.
Putting the Global back into GLOBALHealthPR – How health is done in other countries
As part of GLOBALHealthPR, VIVA! Communications is all about recognising that health and healthcare mean different things depending on where you come from. We took the time to chat to five other health workers to ask them five questions about what healthcare means to them in their country. This month we started with our old…