University staff criticised for fire ant treatment and vaccine misinformation
It comes as Australia's fire ant authorities slam comments by UQ researcher Conny Turni as "ignorant" and "misinformation".
Dr Turni said she believed the chemicals used in fire ant bait caused an estrogenic effect in humans and harmed "all living things", claims which have been debunked by Australia's pesticide regulator.
Dr Turni told the ABC she believed the National Fire Ant Eradication Program was denying the human health harms of fire ant treatments to make money.
"They will dispute that because they want to do this, they're getting money to do this, and they only get money to do this if they call it eradication," Dr Turni said.
"We have been labelled conspiracy theorists because we've been speaking out."
Dr Turni has also co-authored anti-vaccination papers with two other University of Queensland researchers, Dr Peter Parry and Dr Nick Hudson.
None of them are medical researchers.
Dr Turni specialises in agricultural microbiology, Dr Parry in child psychiatry, and Dr Hudson in agricultural metabolic biochemistry.
One of their joint papers is co-authored with Children's Health Defense, a widely discredited American anti-vaccine group.
Dr Turni has spoken at several conspiracy theory rallies, including The People's Revolution and Stop The Toxic Fire Ant Program.
A University of Queensland spokesperson said the university did not necessarily share the views of its staff.
"This means that views expressed by academic staff do not always reflect those of the university, or the broader research community."
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has deemed fire ant bait safe for humans and other mammals, given its extremely low dosages of insect growth regulator (IGR) chemicals.
National Fire Ant Program general manager Marni Manning said Dr Turni's claims were not supported by credible science.
Ms Manning said there was no evidence that the chemicals used in fire ant bait were harmful to humans, birds, or mammals, given the low dosages used in Australia.
Ms Manning said the University of Queensland should consider what impact Dr Turni was having on its reputation as an academic institution.
"I'm at a loss for words. I find it irresponsible and it's actually quite ignorant of what the program is doing," Ms Manning said.
"It's a question for the University of Queensland — are they concerned about this reputationally?"
Invasive Species Council advocacy manager Reece Pianta said Dr Turni was not a medical expert nor an expert in fire ant treatment.
"I understand this academic is speaking outside their normal field of expertise they mainly publish in," Mr Pianta said.
"Everyone has a right to an opinion, but people reading that opinion need to keep in mind they need to seek opinions that are strongly based in peer-reviewed science from field experts.
"Misinformation does risk slowing down fire ant eradication, delaying action, making it harder for officials to access properties to do the work they need to do."
The paper, co-authored by UQ's Dr Turni, Dr Parry and Dr Hudson, contains several citations to non-medical papers, including articles from Substack blogs, Wikipedia, and conspiracy theory websites.
It also contains citations to the widely discredited medical journal the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research.
In a separate anti-vaccine paper, Dr Parry said "DNA vaccine technology" had allowed the government to "engineer social control of entire populations".
"Manipulation and repression of data, and censorship of contrarian evidence-based opinion, even if well-intentioned, have created an historic public health disaster," Dr Parry wrote.
"Failure of authorities to act may represent the phenomenon of 'wilful blindness' to the red flags of surveillance.
"We must open our eyes to this global tragedy."
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners quality care chair Mark Morgan said medical journals had a responsibility not to publish vaccine misinformation.
"There are strong moral and ethical reasons to be very careful that medical publications present information that is accurate and unbiased," Professor Morgan said.
"The stakes are much higher in healthcare than in other debates.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Frankston South residents told to boil water over contamination fears
Residents in Frankston South have been told it is not safe to drink water without boiling it first. The advice was issued by South East Water Australia following a burst pipe on Sunday which has affected the water pressure in the area. Without water pressure, dirt, sediment and dangerous bacteria can flow into the pipes potentially leading consumers to gastro, diarrhoea, cramps and headaches. Consumption may also have serious effects for infants, children, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. âš Boil Water Advisory FRANKSTON SOUTH areaâš Due to low water pressure in the area on Sunday 3 August 2025, we’re advising customers in FRANKSTON SOUTH to boil their tap water before drinking, mixing cold beverages, preparing food, making ice, brushing teeth & gargling. — South East Water Australia (@southeastwater) August 3, 2025 A safety warning was issued by Vic Emergency about 3am on Monday. South East Water Australia has advised that all water used by residents for drinking, mixing cold beverages, preparing food, making ice or brushing teeth is boiled and allowed to cool in clean, closed containers before use. Emergency drinking water is being made available at 7 Dunstan St, Frankston South. 'We're investigating the issue and sampling the water quality. We're working around the clock to return water supply to normal as soon as possible,' South East Water Australia said in a statement. The water is still safe for washing hands, showering and bathing as long as it is not consumed. Anyone who has consumed water and is feeling sick is urged to seek the attention of a doctor or local medical centre immediately.
ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Renewed calls to subsidise insulin pumps and glucose monitors for diabetics
Sammy Haigh's day starts with a series of complex calculations. "I get out of bed and work out how many grams of carbs I'm going to be eating for breakfast, then I put those carbs into my insulin pump, which will deliver my insulin to me," she said. The 26-year-old Newcastle woman is one of 2 million Australians living with diabetes. Over the course of a year, the minimum spend on diabetes supplies sets her back almost $5,000, and that's minus the subsidies she receives from Medicare and Australia's National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS). Last year, a parliamentary inquiry into diabetes recommended the federal government make insulin pumps available at a low cost for all people with type 1 diabetes. The report was released 12 months ago, and the government has yet to respond to the recommendations. It has left people, like Ms Haigh, to deal with the financial burden of the lifelong, incurable autoimmune condition. Ms Haigh is an early childhood educator and says diabetes costs her roughly $103 per week. "It totals, at the moment, between $400 to $500 a month." This includes costs for private health insurance, which she needs in order to access an insulin pump, other diabetes technologies, and various doctors' appointments. "These expenses are not just one-offs, but for critical equipment necessary to stay alive," she said. "It's on top of an already tight young-person budget, having to juggle increasingly higher rent costs, groceries, and fuel. Ms Haigh has just started using an insulin pump, a small digital device that delivers insulin continuously to manage blood glucose levels. Insulin pumps are only subsidised for type 1 patients under the age of 21. "The cost of a pump is absolutely unaffordable for some people," she said. Ms Haigh's insulin pump works in tandem with her continuous glucose monitor (CGM), which is government subsidised. It connects to her phone and is able to show her blood glucose levels in real time. Diabetes Australia said the diabetes epidemic was at a crisis point, estimating the disease cost the health system $9.1 billion each year. Professor David Simmons, an endocrinologist and Diabetes Australia's chief medical officer, said increasing access to insulin pumps could reduce costs for the health system, as keeping blood glucose levels stable reduces the risk of long-term health complications. "It does reduce the cost [for the health system] by reducing people who end up in intensive care units or on dialysis, for example," he said. He said Australia was lagging behind the rest of the world. Multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, subsidise insulin pumps for people with type 1 diabetes. One recommendation of the 2023 inquiry was that continuous glucose monitor (CGM) access be expanded to type 2 diabetes patients, who are not covered by the government subsidies. Hunter Valley man Pete Holland was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 10 years ago. After seeing the benefits of a CGM for his daughter with type 1 diabetes, he tried it himself. Despite describing the device as a "game-changer" for managing his condition, he stopped using it due to the cost. "They're a massive expense, they're over $200 a month to be able to use these things," he said. "With the cost of living these days, I can't afford to be paying that sort of stuff." Mr Holland said he was desperately waiting for CGM subsidies to increase. In a statement, a spokesperson for Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said the government was carefully considering the report of the diabetes inquiry. "The report shines a light on a serious public health issue affecting every community in Australia," the statement said.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Hope grows as cannabis contender enters the Rett syndrome fight
Rett syndrome is rare but relentless Neuren struck biotech gold with Daybue Neurotech brings cannabis to the fight Rett syndrome is the kind of diagnosis that hits hard and lingers long. It affects around one in 10,000 girls, and typically appears after what seems like a normal start to life. Then comes the regression - loss of speech, hand skills, mobility - followed by the onset of seizures, bone fragility, gut issues, scoliosis and, often, a haunting silence that replaces early babble. It's caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene, which plays a crucial role in brain development. While it's classed as rare, the ripple effects through families are enormous. Sleep disturbances are common. Breathing irregularities, like breath-holding spells, can leave caregivers powerless. And while most girls survive into adulthood, it's with round-the-clock support and complex medical needs. AussieRett and InterRett studies Professor Helen Leonard, principal research fellow at the Kids Research Institute, has spent decades studying the condition. Leonard's long-running AussieRett and InterRett studies have helped establish how Rett symptoms evolve over time, and her team has also created global care guidelines for things like nutrition, scoliosis and bone health. 'Rett syndrome is an unusual condition in that it mainly affects girls who, following a period of apparent normal development, gradually show signs of regression," she told Stockhead. "Between the ages of 6 and 18 months they lose skills, particularly in relation to hand function and communication. 'As well as loss of hand function, these individuals develop unusual patterns of hand movements, such as hand-wringing or clapping known as stereotypies." Neuren's moonshot moment Until recently, there was no approved treatment for Rett, only a patchwork of management strategies and hope. That changed when ASX-listed Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX:NEU) struck gold with its drug trofinetide, now marketed as DAYBUE in the US. Approved by the FDA in March 2023, DAYBUE became the first and only drug for Rett syndrome, unlocking a commercial windfall for Neuren. Since 2019, Neuren's stock has surged over 1,200%, and the company now commands a $2 billion market cap. Thanks to a savvy licensing deal with Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Neuren pockets royalties and milestone payments with no royalty outgoings - every dollar drops to the bottom line. 'The FDA approval of trofinetide for Rett syndrome is very exciting, and represents the first ever treatment for the disorder,' said Leonard. For investors, it was a reminder that rare paediatric disorders, long overlooked, are now a serious biotech frontier. And that's where Neurotech (ASX:NTI) enters the frame, with a somewhat different approach. Cannabis steps into the ring Neurotech's lead therapy, NTI164, is a full-spectrum cannabis extract containing a cocktail of cannabinoids like CBDA, CBC and CBN. But it only contains 0.08% THC, meaning it's non-intoxicating and suitable for children. The company recently published results from its Phase I/II study in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. This report shows the therapy was well tolerated and offered signs of clinical improvement across neurological, behavioural and functional domains. The drug's unique formulation is designed to reduce neuroinflammation, support synaptic function and modulate glial cells - factors believed to play a key role in Rett's progression. NTI164 is gaining traction internationally. It's already secured Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) in the US and European Union. This unlocks a range of incentives, including market exclusivity, reduced regulatory fees and access to research funding. It's the kind of support that can help fast-track rare-disease drugs through the system. Meanwhile, data from the same study was presented by lead investigator Professor Carolyn Ellaway at the World Rett Syndrome Congress. That put NTI164 front and centre in a growing global conversation about next-gen Rett treatments. Caution, hope and next steps Research into cannabis for Rett is still early, and Leonard urges caution when interpreting results from small, open-label trials. 'I think that we need a larger national double-blind placebo-controlled study before making any judgement,' she said. 'I would hope that this would use an alternative outcome measure to the RSBQ.' Her research has shown that Rett's behavioural symptoms - like those measured by the RSBQ - tend to decrease with age; unlike its clinical severity, which often worsens. That disconnect, she believes, can muddy trial results, and partially explains why she urges a broader toolkit for measuring impact in future studies. Still, she acknowledged that apart from the Rett Syndrome Symptom Severity (RTT-SIS) scale, some of the other measures used in the NTI164 study 'were showing positive changes'. She's not easily swayed by early signals but she recognises momentum when it's building. And regulators seem to agree. A closer look under NTI's hood From a clinical standpoint, NTI164 is ticking key boxes. Its pharmacokinetic (PK) data shows rapid absorption, minimal THC exposure and consistent dosing with no cannabinoid build-up - making it suitable for chronic paediatric use. NTI164 has also shown promising results in other paediatric neurological conditions like autism and PANDAS/PANS, potentially supporting its use in Rett by building a broader safety and efficacy profile. Perhaps most notably, its primary cannabinoid, CBDA, doesn't just convert into CBD like many assume. It appears to act directly on the brain, interacting with receptors linked to mood and inflammation. That matters because Rett isn't just neurological, it's deeply inflammatory. 'The clear validation of systemic stability, safety and targeted therapeutic action highlights NTI164's potential as a disease-modifying therapy,' said Neurotech CEO, Dr Anthony Filippis. Whether that turns into a commercial home run is still to be seen, but NTI164 has already demonstrated solid safety and early signs of symptom relief. In Rett, that bar is high. So are expectations. And that's what makes Neurotech's path an interesting one to watch. At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While Neurotech is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.
