Mosquitoes love water and with floodwater set to remain for some time, expect mosquito numbers to increase. Here’s how to avoid mozzie bites and the diseases they bring.
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Imagine if the PM had caught COVID two years ago? We knew so little about COVID with certainty back then, and what we did know was truly frightening. Here’s what’s changed since then.
If what you’re reading seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Masks not only reduce your chance of getting COVID, they might stop you unknowingly transmitting the virus to colleagues, people in vulnerable groups or children who are yet to be vaccinated.
In a damp or water-damaged environment, toxic mould species grow and release spores that can cause health problems if inhaled.
Three months after Omicron abruptly arrived, we now know more about the variant. So what does the science say about how contagious it is, how long it takes to get sick and how effective vaccines are?
The mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus has been detected for the first time in southeastern Australia, in pigs at a pig farm. So what threat does it pose to human health?
Ukrainian Australians feel the push-pull impact of distant conflict on their mental health. Supportive measures include making sure their feelings are heard and accepted.
Whooping cough rates are the lowest they’ve been for years. But what comes next?
If you’re tempted to wade into flood waters for fun, don’t. It not only risks your immediate safety, it’s also a threat to your health.
Ironically, excess rain can lead to a shortage of clean drinking water in times of storms and flooding.
Drinking more water can make you feel happier – and not drinking enough may contribute to feelings of anxiety and fatigue.
Now that Omicron infection is widespread, the government could improve trust by phasing out travel restrictions and border isolation and reviewing vaccine mandates to ensure they are proportionate.
Their social media feeds contain images of tanks, bombs and war-style propaganda. Here’s how to help them navigate social media ‘news’ content about war, while minimising any distress.
With access to testing limited and without other ways of measuring likely infection rates, New Zealand’s confirmed COVID cases are likely to be just a fraction of the total.
Do you brush for two minutes, with the correct type of brush and toothpaste? Did you know you’re supposed to spit, not rinse after brushing? And that brushing at the wrong time can cause damage?
The delay in finding definitive answers to how novel infectious diseases come about is not unusual. Look at what happened to our search for Ebola virus.
If you’re thinking of upgrading from a cloth or surgical mask to a respirator, here’s what you need to know.
Each layer of COVID-19 protection available to adults has significant gaps for children. We need a family-centred approach to protect their well-being in this outbreak.
While public health measures in schools and hospitals aim to reduce COVID transmission, people with disability who have support workers in their homes have largely been forgotten.
Parents can now choose Moderna to vaccinate their children against COVID. So how effective is it, and how does it compare with Pfizer?
Recent evidence suggests it’s normal for young, healthy and active children to have flexible flat feet. And these flat feet will get less flat over time.
Imagine if every meal you ate included food previously chewed by someone else. That’s what’s happening to the air we breathe in shared indoor spaces.
People – particularly women – take a little longer to fall asleep when they are next to a casual partner or single.
Without genome sequencing, we would be blind to new variants of COVID-19. As Omicron surges in New Zealand, the sequencing focus is shifting to learning about what causes severe or long-term disease.