It’s almost exactly two years since the emergence of the swine flu virus was announced by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This was the first flu pandemic in 41 years and the start of another flu season…
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Health – Articles, Analysis, Comment
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We’ve come a long way in our understanding of diabetes over the past few decades. Rather than cutting down on sugar, the prevention and management of diabetes hinges on weight control and a balanced diet…
My life was entirely shaped by the successes and failures of medical research so, to me, it seems incomprehensible that there should even be a debate about the importance of funding medical research. My…
On Sunday, China banned smoking in public places such as restaurants, bars and other indoor spaces. But a lack of public understanding about the dangers of smoking in the nation of 300 million smokers…
Scientists have identified a link between a particular gene and depression, marking a potential breakthrough in ways to treat the condition in future. In a study of 15,000 people, researchers from Germany’s…
It’s a cruel catch-22. Vastly improved antiviral drugs have the potential to significantly improve the lives of people with HIV. But before this can happen, they need to take a test. Trouble is, the test…
According to a recent report in the Canberra Times, Thomas Barry Moore, a former air force serviceman, has been in a persistent vegetative in a Chinese hospital for 118 days. He suffered a stroke on December…
If your child were diagnosed with a taste disorder, you’d be forgiven for welcoming an impending disinterest in sweets and salty chips. But for the one in ten Australian children who can’t perceive sweet…
Spending on health is the most rapidly expanding part of federal and state budgets, driven by chronic diseases, an ageing population and unrealistic expectations. The $100 billion spent this year on health…
A recent application to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requested alcohol be rescheduled as a prohibited substance “unfit for human consumption”. The application quickly got the thumbs down…
Every year we are bombarded by messages about the importance of road safety as holidays approach and regaled every night with state-specific road toll statistics. But we know roads are not the only places…
The two pieces of Commonwealth legislation strictly regulate research use of human embryos in Australia are currently being reviewed. The Australian public is overwhelmingly in favour of stem cell research…
Expected cuts in health and medical research in the May Federal budget have led to a predicable backlash from vested interests. We are informed that any cuts will detrimentally affect standards of healthcare…
There is nothing like chocolate. When it comes to the hedonistic appeal of chocolate, the taste, texture, aroma and packaging are hard to beat. Australians eat an average of five to six kilograms of chocolate…
Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott today announced $430 million in to boost support mentally ill Australians in the workforce with employment services, research and professional development. It’s an…
Ever since Pope Urban VII spent part of his 13-day reign in 1590 threatening smokers with excommunication, smoking regulation has been controversial. And the response from tobacco supporters and companies…
Australia has seen many major advances in disease screening, treatment and surgery over the past few decades. But this progress hasn’t been shared equally around the country. People living outside major…
We rely on professional advice when making decisions about prenatal testing or cancer screening or judgments about test results, such as an HIV test. But there is a need to be wary about what your doctor…
Medical researchers breathed a sigh of relief this morning after seeing the News Limited report that cuts to health and medical research were no longer on the table. Although the signs from senior government…
Data just released by the Australian Government show that many girls are not completing the full course of the cervical cancer vaccine. It’s another very good reason towards an already compelling case…
With one in four children obese or overweight, there is no shortage of bad news about Australia’s battle with obesity. But recently, a glimmer of hope has emerged. Between 1999 and 2007 the prevalence…
A recent Queensland study has found the purported link between socioeconomic status and food choices leading to bad behaviour among children and ill-health among adults may be misunderstood. The study…
Parents often breathe a sigh of relief when their child takes his first step, speaks her first word, and can spontaneously read his mother’s facial expression. For children with autism, they might take…
Last year almost 300 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 took their own life. That’s here in Australia. In the lucky country. Suicide is now the biggest killer of our young people and accounts for…
Cigarette packages have become the last bastion of advertising for tobacco manufacturers. If the Federal Government wins its war against big tobacco, all cigarette packages will be subject to designs chosen…