Headlines on health

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is reportedly withdrawing its COVID-19 vaccine worldwide. The vaccine was discontinued by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Authority in April 2023 after findings of adverse side effects.

Hand-sanitising prayer beads have been launched to help curb the spread of germs among Muslim pilgrims at this year's Hajj. The prayer beads (or Tasbih) are coated in tea tree oil and uniquely designed to preserve spiritual practices. They're being distributed to pilgrims on Saudia airlines flights, as well as in Mecca itself.

About one-in-ten people across Australia provide unpaid care for a loved one with a disability or an older person and roughly 304,500 of them receive the government carer payment. The Albanese government has unveiled changes to the support payment to allow them greater flexibility in the hours they can work.

Fewer people follow a formal religion, according to the latest Census. In fact, almost 40 per cent of people in Australia now identify as ‘no religion’. However, in times of crisis many still reach out for support. And that’s where non-religious spiritual carers step in.

New research shows that some people living with HIV are choosing cheaper and suboptimal antiretroviral treatment out of fear that their applications for permanent residency will be rejected. Applicants must show that their medical spending will not exceed more than $51,000 over 10 years — a requirement, known as the Significant Cost Threshold. Experts say these rules for migrants are unfair and can compromise Australia’s goal to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.

Walking is something many of us take for granted. But a new study has revealed the enormous health benefits that walking just once a week can have, especially for those aged 70 and over.

In this episode of Cost of Living Secrets with Ricardo Goncalves and Peggy Giakoumelos, we talk about saving when visiting your doctor. New South Wales and ACT chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Dr Rebekah Hoffman shares her tips on:

Patients at high risk of their breast cancer returning will soon have access to a treatment that could prevent just that. For some a re-diagnosis is their biggest fear, which is why improved access to a key drug is considered an important step.

New research from Monash University has identified the Australian Local Government Areas with the highest rates of cardiac arrest and lowest rates of bystander CPR. Experts say it calls for a targeted educational approach, as survival is doubled when C-P-R is given by bystanders.

Rugby league icon Wally Lewis has made an impassioned plea for further funding into concussion and traumatic brain injury research. The Queensland great used his address at the National Press Club to open up about his experience with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Health experts are warning of new super-strength synthetic opioids making their way into Australia with deadly consequences. They're up to fifty times stronger than fentanyl and have already been linked to a string of fatal heroin overdoses.

The so-called 'war on drugs' has been waged in the US since at least the 1970s, when then President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act and declared drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” In Australia, there have been similar efforts to battle drug trafficking and use. As prescription opioids overtake heroin as a public health emergency, those efforts have expanded to restrict the control and supply of those substances too. First Nations people have been much more heavily impacted by substance issues and official responses than the non-Indigenous population. In this Episode of The Too Hard Basket, and in the final story of a three part series on drugs in Australia, we look at how these issues play out for Indigenous communities.

Most of us might be familiar with the term 'the war on drugs'. In the US, it's been waged since the 1970s, when then President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act and declared drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” In Australia, there have been similar efforts historically to battle drug trafficking and drug use. On today's episode of The Too Hard Basket, we look at how state and federal governments are now handling these issues, and if a hardline approach is still the answer. This is the second story in a three part series on drugs in Australia.

Most of us might be familiar with the term 'the war on drugs'. In the US, it's been waged since the 1970s, when then President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act and declared drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” But today, it's not so much illicit drugs but prescription medication that the US is fighting, with deaths from prescription opioids reaching crisis levels. Authorities in Australia have been keen to avoid a similar emergency here, introducing restrictions in 2020 to limit their supply. In this episode of the Too Hard Basket series, SBS looks at how effective these changes have been so far - and what else needs to be done. This is the first in a three-part series investigating drugs in Australia.

Medicinal cannabis has been legal in Australia for eight years. Although it's legal, the drug still can affect people's ability to work and drive because of limitations of drug testing regimes. Now, the Victorian Government is looking at whether there's a better way to manage medicinal cannabis use in the workplace.

Maree McCabe is the CEO of Dementia Australia, an organisation that offers advocacy and support to people living with dementia, as well as their families and carers. She has spoken with Deborah Groarke on the importance of understanding how a person living with the condition sees the world. For more information on dementia, contact Dementia Australia's hotline on 1800 100 500.

Dementia currently affects more than 400,000 people across Australia and is the country's second leading cause of death for women. The numbers of those affected are only expected to grow as the population ages. A national training organisation has now developed an online portal to help people find the training they need to better care for their patients and loved ones.

In Australia, the misuse of prescription opioids has been a longstanding problem. At one point the nation recorded the world's ninth highest per capita consumption in the world. But changes to prescribing rules in 2020 appear to have been effective in reducing their use.

This week marks World Oral Health Day but for many Australians, cost of living pressures are putting a trip to the dentist out of reach. A new Victorian initiative is bringing dental care to schools, and fast-tracking the recognition of qualifications for overseas-trained dentists.

Lung and cervical cancer are in the spotlight at a global First Nations health conference underway in Naarm, Melbourne. The World Indigenous Cancer Conference aims to foster better working relationships and collaboration between experts from across the globe.