
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…

David, 62 Banking manager & married father-of-three who has experienced influenza on multiple occasions, CANBERRA
Banking manager and married father-of-three, David, 62, Canberra, enjoys bush walking, fitness, and watching sports in his spare time. Given his busy professional and personal life, David cannot afford to fall ill. Over the past decade however, David has contracted the flu on many occasions, which has led to numerous days off work due to…

Heather, 59 Volunteer & mother-of-two who was struck down by influenza for a fortnight, MELBOURNE
Community volunteer, mother-to-two adult children and “diehard Collingwood supporter” who was awarded a State medal for her bravery during the ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires of 2009, Heather, 59, Melbourne, enjoys the simple things in life, such as gardening, jigsaw puzzles and good coffee. For years, Heather had a clean bill of health, until she contracted the…

Garry, 61 Father, grandfather, horticulturalist & avid golfer in favour of in-pharmacy flu vaccination Burnie, TASMANIA
Married father-to-two and grandfather-to-five, Garry, 61, is the horticulturalist caretaker at Burnie City Park. When Garry isn’t at work, you can find him playing golf, volleyball or tennis with friends. When Garry was diagnosed with the flu in June, 2016, his professional and personal life was significantly compromised. For three weeks he felt “miserable”, plagued…

Quynh, 33 Pharmacist who contracted influenza while travelling abroad, ADELAIDE
Quynh, 33, works as a full-time pharmacist at a 24/7 community pharmacy in South Australia. She leads an active lifestyle, has a strong personal interest in health and wellness, and travels frequently. She has no time for falling ill. In 2015 however, shortly after returning from a two-week holiday to New York, Quynh developed…

Jessica, 29 Health coach & cystic fibrosis patient advocate who contracted the 2009 swine flu, BRISBANE
Health coach and policy consultant for young women living with illness, Jessica, 29, Brisbane, was a victim of the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Living with cystic fibrosis, Jessica was at higher risk of serious complications from influenza than most. In June 2009, while holidaying with her husband in Queensland, taking time-out to consider health-related lifestyle…

Sheryl, 56 Retired primary school teacher & mother-of-two struck down by influenza, CANBERRA
Recently retired primary school teacher of 35 years, and married mother-to-two, Sheryl, 56, Canberra, has always maintained relatively good health. She enjoys walking, reading and travelling. However, in March, 2016, she was struck down by influenza – a serious respiratory infection that she battled for four weeks. After attending school camp, Sheryl contracted influenza upon…

Rodney, 35 Placed into a medically-induced coma following swine flu infection, SYDNEY
Welfare and mental health counsellor, Rodney, 35, Sydney, was hospitalised with influenza in 2010, in a non-aware state, with congested lungs and less than 30 per cent oxygen in his blood. Within 48 hours, Rodney was diagnosed with the H1N1 flu virus strain – swine flu – and placed into a medically-induced coma for…