Test your knowledge about influenza as we head towards the winter peak
In the last few weeks most states and territories have seen steep rises in influenza cases and the overall number for the year to date has exceeded those in the same period last year.
Cases remain highest in children aged nine and under and this year we are seeing a higher number of influenza B compared to last year.
Historically, late July is when infections peak — so how prepared are you?
Do you know how long you might be contagious for? Or when you might need to see a doctor?
Let's test your knowledge.
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ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Victorian sheep farmer makes breakthrough in bid to breed footrot-resistant sheep
A Victorian merino stud has bred its first line of footrot-resistant rams in a major step forward against a disease that costs the sheep industry more than $80 million a year. The Kealy family in Edenhope has been working towards the goal for years but biosecurity restrictions and the lack of a breeding value for footrot in Australia have been stumbling blocks. Australian sheep breeding values are a prediction of an animal's genetic merit for particular traits such as growth, eating quality, wool production, reproduction, and health. Stud co-principal Elise Kealy said it was an exciting step. "We have bred a line of rams which we are confident will have good footrot resistance, which will be a bit of a first for the industry," she said. Footrot is a contagious disease that attacks the tissue between the horn and the flesh of a sheep's hoof, causing lameness and other problems. "They lose weight, they don't lactate properly, their reproduction isn't as good, their wool production goes down," Ms Kealy said. New Zealand has had a breeding value for footrot since 2020, but Australia does not have one yet. "That means farmers in New Zealand can measure it, record it and select for it," Ms Kealy said. "We can't do that and we also can't buy New Zealand semen or rams and bring them back here, for biosecurity reasons." The breakthrough came when Ms Kealy happened upon a ram that had excellent natural resistance. "There was a ram born and bred in Australian seven years ago and it had semen collected before it went to New Zealand," she said. "Since then it's had four different age groups of progeny measured for footrot resistance and it's now sitting in the top 10 per cent of the industry for resistance. "We were lucky enough to get some of that semen two years ago, and now we have one-and-a-half-year-old rams coming on with what we think will be very good footrot resistance." Footrot expert Mark Ferguson helped develop the breeding value in New Zealand and is working on doing the same in Australia. "We're closer than we've been before," he said. "We've done a lot of work in New Zealand that's now being translated to Australia." Footrot is more prevalent in places with persistently wet conditions such as New Zealand. "The breeding value been just so powerful for those people in high rainfall areas who are challenged with foot health — places that have had footrot for literally 100 years," he said. A footrot vaccine available in both New Zealand and Australia but Dr Ferguson says it is not a panacea. "They've been a great management tool, but they're not a silver bullet," he said. "But by actually shifting the population to a more resistant status, those management tools become more effective because you've got less disease around. "So all of these things need to go together to give farmers a great combination of things they can use to keep feet health up to the standard they'd love to."
ABC News
17 hours ago
- ABC News
Christine Yerbury would like to move somewhere without stairs
Christine Yerbury has been waiting since October to receive an occupational therapy assessment to allow her to receive a Deaf-appropriate device.
SBS Australia
18 hours ago
- SBS Australia
One in seven Australians are on this medication and some have 'strange' symptoms coming off
Antidepressants are some of the most commonly prescribed medications globally and in Australia, but knowledge of how they work and how hard it is to come off them remains highly contested. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows nearly four million Australians — roughly one in seven — take antidepressants. A large systematic review of research into the process of withdrawing from the drugs was published this week, but it quickly faced backlash from some psychiatrists and experts. The authors found coming off antidepressants after short-term use was not associated with a "clinically significant" risk of withdrawal symptoms. However, long-term antidepressant use — that is longer than 12 months — is increasingly common and comes with a greater risk of harm. The review found withdrawal symptoms — such as dizziness, nausea, vertigo — occur in a minority of cases, but they are on average manageable and not severe, especially with proper clinical support. The authors suggest that depression after stopping antidepressants is probably a relapse of the original mental health condition, as the results were similar among placebo groups. The meta-analysis examined the findings of 50 randomised controlled trials, involving 17,828 participants. The review published in JAMA Psychiatry included 38 studies with an observation period longer than two weeks, the critical time frame during which withdrawal symptoms are expected to occur. The average age of the participants was 44, and 70 per cent were female. In Australia, women are prescribed antidepressants at 1.5 times the rate of men — a trend that's seen in other parts of the world. Some health professionals say the review provides useful insights, despite its limitations, while others have been highly critical. UK antidepressant researchers Mark Horowitz and Julie Moncrieff said the review "risks underestimating the potential harms to long-term antidepressant users by focusing on short-term, industry-funded studies." Several of the JAMA Psychiatry article's senior authors declared receiving payments from drug companies. Horowitz and Moncrieff argue that the article's "main analysis" is based on eleven trials, six of which looked at people who had taken antidepressants for eight weeks and four for 12 weeks. "There is growing recognition that stopping antidepressants — especially after long-term use — can cause severe and sometimes debilitating withdrawal symptoms, and it is now acknowledged by the UK government as a public health issue," they wrote in The Conversation. New resources have been developed to support people safely stopping the use of antidepressants over time usually months, through what's called a tapering plan. The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines, published last year and co-authored by Horowitz, has been accepted by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners as an Accepted Clinical Resource. On again, off again antidepressant prescriptions Allied health professional Kizzy said she never wanted to be reliant on anti-depressants and has stopped taking them twice in the past. "I was initially quite resistant to any kind of medication, but I got to a point a couple of years ago ... where I was really struggling with suicidal thoughts and just being able to function and do things because of my mood, and all of these horrible feelings and thoughts I was having, and finally got convinced to try sertraline". She said she noticed the drug — a commonly prescribed antidepressant sometimes sold under the name Zoloft — was making her feel "numb". "My hope is that I can one day be not require antidepressants and still maintain this level of functioning and mental health," she said adding that her current medication "potentially affects" her liver. The United States National Library of Medicine says liver abnormalities reportedly occur in around 1 per cent of people who take sertraline, "but elevations are usually modest and infrequently require dose modification or discontinuation". Professor Paul Fitzgerald is the director of the School of Medicine and Psychology at Australian National University and a member of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. He was not involved in the review. He said it's important to be aware of the more severe cases of side effects. "There are some unusual symptoms that patients experience. The most dramatic one the patients find quite disturbing is the phenomena that patients often talk about as brain zaps." "They get this very strange sensation of electrical zaps in their head or down their spinal cord, and if they haven't been warned about it, it can be quite distressing. It just seems strange." He said it's unclear from this latest review whether the symptoms recorded by researchers are a relapse of a previous mental health condition or withdrawal effects from discontinuing antidepressants. "What happens when somebody's stopping a medication and their underlying symptoms of their condition get worse? "In other words, start to experience more depression or more anxiety, and it can be really difficult to know under those circumstances. "Are those symptoms that they're experiencing some sort of discontinuation or is it really just the symptoms of the illness coming back because the treatment's been withdrawn?" Sonya Morrissey is the national GP adviser at Headspace, a platform supporting the mental health and wellbeing of younger people. She said that, in the past, patients weren't sufficiently warned about discontinuation symptoms of antidepressants. "It is something that we are, I think, recognising more and there's lots more research being done now, which is great, although there's not a significant amount of research yet in the cohort that we see, which is the 12 to 25 year olds," she said. She said antidepressants are not their first line of treatment at Headspace, but will be used occasionally if needed. LISTEN TO SBS News 11/07/2025 08:17 English The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' Western Australia vice-president, Dr Ramya Raman, said the recently published meta-analysis still provides useful insight for GPs but said more research on withdrawing from long-term anti-depressant use was needed. She also highlighted the importance of a good doctor-patient relationship when withdrawing from psychiatric medication. "When weaning off of the medication and there is a trusted relationship with the GP, and a regular follow-up with that doctor, the risk of having the discontinuation symptoms are less of a concern compared to when patients actually abruptly stop it. Kizzy also said finding a GP with an interest in mental health can make a big difference when navigating the use of antidepressants and the withdrawal process. "I think it's important to find a GP who has a genuine interest in that area rather than just going to your generic GP, finding a regular one who you know can rely on, who can really support you and speak to you in a way that you're going to feel respected and really understood. "And I think that's a really important kind of foundation support to have because once you have that, then you will feel safe enough to be checking in with them, sharing all your concerns, talking about coming off or going on or switching medications and still be okay through all of that." Readers seeking crisis support can ring Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
