TGA concedes it failed to prevent growing number of blood toxicity cases linked to Vitamin B6
Now Australia's medicine regulator has conceded its laws failed to prevent a growing number of blood toxicity cases linked to Vitamin B6.
7.30's Tom Hartley reports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
36 minutes ago
- ABC News
Mothers in Victoria write to health minister amid confusion about RSV injection
A group of Victorian mothers have written to the health minister after struggling to get their children an antibody nirsevimab injection as part of the state's free RSV vaccination program. When Alissa Holder took her six-month-old baby to get a routine vaccination in April, she had no idea the ordeal she and her child was about to endure. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a highly infectious illness that infects up to 90 per cent of children in their first two years. It is one of the most common causes of hospitalisation of infants in Australia. This year the Victorian government introduced a program to provide free antibody nirsevimab injections, or the RSV shot, to eligible women and infants until late September 2025. Ms Holder saw seven doctors and five nurses in an effort to get her baby protected against RSV but said she was repeatedly denied the shot despite being eligible. A nurse from one clinic later confirmed her baby was eligible but that the clinic did not offer nirsevimab. She was advised to "doctor shop". On June 7, Ms Holder called triple-0 because her baby was coughing and struggling to breathe. Five days later, Ms Holder's baby tested positive for RSV. Ms Holder is now part of a group of 10 Ballarat parents with similarly confounding experiences that have written to Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas about "the inequitable, confusing and ultimately dangerous … roll-out of the program in [the Ballarat] area". Amy Fuller contributed to the letter to Ms Thomas, detailing her month-long "stressful" process to get her newborn the nirsevimab shot. "We were originally told by the maternal child health nurse when we went for our normal vaccinations that we weren't eligible." Ms Fuller was later told by a GP that her baby was eligible, but that the clinic did not have any nirsevimab medicine. "We rang around Ballarat looking for vaccines and most places didn't have them," she said. Ms Fuller eventually found two clinics that offered the shot but was denied access because they were not "regular patients" at those clinics. She only recently got her child protected against the virus at a clinic but said there was still confusion. "They weren't entirely sure [about the injection]," Ms Fuller said. "One of them told us it was a live vaccine, one told us it wasn't, and they weren't sure if we had to wait 15 minutes or not [afterwards]." In the letter to the health minister, one mother said their doctors advised them the RSV injection "did not exist" and other parents said that some clinics could only order one dose per week or per month. Ms Thomas's office did not respond to a request for comment for this article, instead referring the ABC to the Department of Health. Under the Victorian RSV Mother and Infant Protection Program: The ABC understands the Department of Health is aware of the confusion about the RSV program within Victorian clinics and has since redistributed information and literature. "There is no shortage of nirsevimab in Victoria," a department spokesperson said. "Providers have been advised to order only what they need for scheduled appointments to ensure fair and efficient distribution. "Order limits have been relaxed as the respiratory illness season has progressed." The department said it had proactively sought to support health providers with additional information and guidance, including direct engagement with GP clinic staff. It said 46,000 doses of maternal RSV vaccine Abrysvo and more than 23,000 doses of nirsevimab had been distributed in Victoria. Ramya Raman, a practising GP and the Royal Australian College of GPs vice-president, said her patients had voiced confusion about the RSV injection. "The rate at which the public policy has been rolled out has been a little bit staggered and different between the states, and that's probably contributed a little bit to the confusion," Dr Raman said. She advised against doctor shopping. "It's important to have a regular GP because it means that that doctor will know exactly the family history, the mum's history, and will be able to advise appropriately whether they are eligible or not eligible," Dr Raman said. The day after her baby tested positive for RSV, Ms Holder got a call from the first nurse she met with, who apologised. The nurse went on to say that her baby was in fact eligible for RSV protection and she had since begun administering the jab to other infants as a result of multiple parents asking questions. "When it comes to health care it's important [governing bodies] don't leave any room for misinterpretation … because it can lead to illness and potentially death," Ms Holder said. "Make it really clear and simple and in plain English so that anyone can understand it." Editorial note 4/7/2025: The nirsevimap injection is not a vaccine, but a is a long-acting monoclonal antibody that can be given to infants to protect them from severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus disease. There is an RSV vaccine available for pregnant women, Arexvy and Abrysvo.
SBS Australia
39 minutes ago
- SBS Australia
New Hope of Lung Cancer Detection with Screening Program
LISTEN TO SBS Indonesian 04/07/2025 07:18 Indonesian The Australian government has funded a national early screening program that is expected to bring the numbers down. Scans to detect lung problems usually cost hundreds of dollars - but the Health Minister said that from July 1, the cost will not be levied at any cost to patients deemed at high risk of lung cancer. Eligibility will be determined based on age - those aged between 50 and 70 - and smoking history which counts as a minimum of 30 packs per year. Listen to SBS Indonesian every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 3pm. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram , and don't miss our podcasts .
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Childcare provider cancels meeting amid confusion for parents caught up in alleged sex offences saga
Parents say they are angry after a childcare giant that employed alleged child sex offender Joshua Dale Brown claimed police asked that a meeting with families be cancelled, amid frustration from other parents who have been asked to get children tested for sexually transmitted diseases a second time. Warning: This story contains details of alleged child sex offences which may distress some audience members. But Victoria Police have denied advising childcare operator Affinity Education to cancel the Thursday night meeting at the Papilio Early Learning Centre in Essendon. In an email sent to parents on Thursday afternoon, and obtained by the ABC, Affinity said: "As the investigation is still open, we have been advised by the police that there is nothing further to share at this time and therefore the meeting has been postponed." "We understand how distressing this is and that you may still have unanswered questions." A parent at Papilio Essendon told the ABC they were desperately seeking more information from centre management. "It's chaotic for sure," they said. "At the moment we know as much as the general public and that's the source of frustration." A police spokesperson told the ABC: "Victoria Police did not advise Papilio Essendon to not go ahead with the planned meeting." "Victoria Police has given no instruction to impacted childcare centre operators regarding their meetings with families. That is up to centre operators to determine and organise as they see fit," they said. Meanwhile, parents at other centres where Mr Brown worked are furious at what they say is a lack of clear communication from authorities, leaving them feeling they cannnot "trust the Health Department advice". The department said on Wednesday its highest priority was the health and wellbeing of the children, as reports emerged that families had received conflicting screening advice, meaning their children might need to be tested twice. Two families at Williamstown's Only About Children received texts recommending their children be tested for gonorrhoea and chlamydia on Tuesday, only to receive another message also recommending syphilis screening two days later, according to media reports. "We acknowledge this is an extremely distressing time for everyone involved, and regret that this family faced additional stress and anxiety," the department said in response. Another parent at the Williamstown centre told the ABC they proactively had their child tested for all three illnesses. They said their child had been recommended for gonorrhoea and chlamydia screening, while others enrolled at the same centre at the same time were being told to also test for syphilis. "A number of other families took matters into their own hands and did the same, and also tested for HIV and other diseases, because they realised they couldn't trust the health department advice," the parent said. The parent criticised what they characterised as a "bungle" by the health department. "They have had weeks and weeks of working with the police to get things right and yet they still stuffed it," they said. "They clearly learned nothing from COVID." Mr Brown, 26, of Point Cook, faces more than 70 charges including sexual penetration of a child under 12 and producing child abuse material relating to eight alleged victims at Creative Gardens Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023. He also worked at several Affinity centres including Papilio in Essendon, which was his last-known employer before he was arrested in May. Affinity did not comment when asked about the cancelled meeting. According to information released by the Victorian government on Tuesday, Mr Brown worked at Papilio Early Learning in Essendon between February 17 and May 9 this year. The government said he had also worked at the Only About Children in Williamstown between October 28, 2020, and March 30, 2021. This week, Affinity said it was re-examining its records to see if Mr Brown worked for it on additional dates to those so far publicly disclosed, after the ABC approached the company with evidence he was at a different centre on a date not included on the government's list.
