Latest news with #MeredithHammat
West Australian
14 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
School holidays set to supercharge spread of flu as WA cases hit over 10,000
Two people have died of influenza in the past fortnight, with the Health Minister describing this year's flu season as the worst in a decade — and experts warning the school holidays will only supercharge the spread. WA Health figures show there have been 10,428 recorded influenza infections so far this year, more than double the 4641 cases at the same time last year. In June, there were 2948 flu cases compared to 1455 in the same month in 2024. The flu has killed five people so far this year — one less than at the same time last year. Two of those deaths occurred between June 8 and June 22. A further 1692 people had been admitted to hospital as of June 22 — more than 800 hospitalisations more than the same time last year. The alarming figures can be revealed after Health Minister Meredith Hammat claimed high rates of ambulance ramping were due to the worst flu season in a decade. Ms Hammat pointed the finger as she was grilled in Budget Estimates on Tuesday about the number of hours ambulances were ramped at WA hospitals in May and June. Ambulance crews spent 5336 hours waiting to transfer patients outside WA hospitals in May, the highest on record for that month. In June, ambulances were ramped for a total of 5573 hours, with the length of time paramedics waited outside regional hospitals hitting its highest ever monthly record at 259 hours. 'There's a variation across months, you referred to the May figures, but we are dealing with the worst flu season in 10 years,' Ms Hammat said. 'The context is important — the context of the ageing and growing population, the context of the worst flu season in 10 years. These are all factors that have an impact as well.' Curtin University international health professor Jaya Dantas said she expected flu cases to increase further with public school holidays starting at the end of this week. 'The months of July and August are our winter months, so it gets colder, wetter and at the same time we have the school holidays — this all leads to an increase in infections,' she said. 'If there is a subsequent increase in emergency department presentations then it's worrying because it means that it can actually have an impact on our health system.' Australian Medical Association WA president Kyle Hoath said the State was in the middle of a 'horror flu season'. 'The flu season is probably three or four weeks ahead of where we were this time last year, but we don't see it ending sooner,' he said. 'It's always hard to predict with the flu, but the likelihood is that cases will continue to rise and we will be in for a horror winter. 'The impact on the emergency departments, on our after hours and critical care clinics, and GPs is going to go through the roof over the next six to eight weeks.'
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
WA regional hospitals hit record high for ambulance ramping hours
Ambulances in regional Western Australia spent more than 240 hours waiting outside hospitals to transfer patients last month — an average of eight hours a day. The June figures from St John represent a new high for regional ramping, surpassing the previous record of 222.2 hours last September. Ramping happens any time an ambulance spends more than 30 minutes waiting outside a hospital for their patient to be received. While every regional hospital except Northam experienced a month-on-month increase in June, Bunbury hospital bore the brunt of the problem, accounting for about 85 per cent of non-metropolitan ramping hours. Meanwhile, metropolitan hospitals collectively observed a small decrease. WA deputy opposition leader and shadow health minister Libby Mettam said the situation was putting regional West Australians' lives at risk. She said spikes in ramping could also hamper the capacity of paramedics to respond to emergencies. Health Minister Meredith Hammat said ramping was a nationwide issue with a range of complex contributing factors. "Our government is throwing everything we can at it," she said. "Bunbury Regional Hospital is currently undergoing a $471.5 million redevelopment to boost patient capacity, and we've significantly increased staff numbers statewide by more than 30 per cent since 2021. "WA Country Health Service has several initiatives to attract and retain junior doctors in the regions, and I'm pleased to report a record 33 interns joined the health service this year." The state government began a significant redevelopment of Bunbury hospital in January to expand its capacity. But the Australian Medical Association (AMA) said while the project would add more beds, it would not address staffing shortages, which it believed was behind the ramping increase. AMA WA president Kyle Hoath said it was a chronic and growing problem. "The workforce in our regional areas is stretched really thin … particularly when we look at Bunbury," he said. Dr Hoath said it was not just hospital staffing shortages having an impact on ramping. He said general practitioners were under pressure in regional and rural areas too, partly due to a lack of specialist services, meaning some patients were forced to lean on emergency services instead. Dr Hoath has urged the state government to invest more in attracting medical staff to the regions and incentivising them to stay. The National Rural Health Alliance echoed that call. "We need to make sure that we pay people well, not less, that we make sure their practices can function without feeling that they're stretched," chief executive Susanne Tegen said. "It's about time people that live in rural Australia receive the same access to healthcare and the same amount of dollars [as is] spent on urban people." Dental surgeon David McInerney is well acquainted with the difficulties of attracting staff to the region. But the Margaret River-based practitioner said it was not always for lack of desire. "There is simply nowhere for them to live," Dr McInerney said. Recently he had to put three of his dental staff up in vacant dwellings on his own property in order to keep them. "Other health practices who don't have that additional help would be struggling to attract staff because if they don't have anywhere to live, they're not going to come," he said. Dr Mclnerney said the area's growing population was also putting a strain on other essential infrastructure, including Margaret River Hospital itself. He said this added pressure to Bunbury's system as locals were often forced to turn there instead. "People are seriously ill but they're being shipped away from their families and their support networks simply because they don't have the beds available," he said. The ABC has contacted the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) for comment. St John WA declined to comment.
West Australian
3 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Goldfielders encouraged to take advantage of extended free flu vaccination program
WA's free influenza vaccination program has been extended to the end of July as case numbers rise ahead of peak season. As of mid-June, nearly 9000 flu cases had been reported and more than 1500 have been hospitalised for related concerns. Of those hospitalisations, 18 per cent were children under 10, and 37 per cent were adults over 65. All West Australians aged six months and over remain eligible for the vaccine, which is especially recommended for people aged 65 and over as they are at higher risk of serious complications. Health Minister Meredith Hammat said influenza was more than a bad cold. 'It can lead to severe illness and hospitalisation, particularly for young children, older adults and people with underlying conditions,' she said. More than 763,180 people in WA are already vaccinated, but Preventative Health Minister Sabine Winton said it was not too late for those yet to roll up their sleeve. 'By getting your free flu vaccination, you're keeping yourself, your loved ones and the wider community safe,' she said. Free vaccinations are available through participating GPs, community pharmacies, Aboriginal medical services, nurse practitioner clinics, corporate vaccination service providers, and community health clinics. They are also available through the National Immunisation Program for those considered most at risk — pregnant women, adults over 65, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over six months, and people with serious medical conditions.
West Australian
10-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Jessica Page: WA has the country's lowest flu vaccination rate putting the vulnerable at risk
There's something in the air — winter. And our hospitals are not ready for it. They're barely coping now. Plenty of blame can be, and has been, shared around on that score. And it's my turn to cop a bit. And probably only fair that the Health Minister dish it out. Rightly under pressure over yet another month of record ramping, Meredith Hammat insisted it is a nationwide issue and that the State Government is throwing everything at it. She also said there is something everyone can do to help. 'The United States just experienced its worst flu season in 16 years and we've used that information to prepare for the additional demand this winter will likely bring to WA,' Ms Hammat said. 'Please, if you haven't done so already, get your free flu vaccination and protect yourself and your loved ones this winter'. The Premier must have been listening. Over the weekend, a photo of Roger Cook dutifully getting his jab at the local pharmacy was posted on his social media accounts with a timely reminder that the vaccine is only free in WA until the end of this month. But it was another photo that brought me to tears and made me chastise myself for not yet booking my kids in for their jabs. It was a photo of a two-year-old boy hooked up to a ventilator due to influenza. His mother Hannah Elsey reported that he was previously healthy, with no medical conditions, but fell ill a couple of weeks before an appointment to get vaccinated. 'Luckily he survived and has made a full recovery, but I don't think I will ever fully recover from the trauma,' she said. That social media post reached me all the way from Sudbury in the U.K. but it is relevant here and now, with warnings that a dire flu season in the United Kingdom and the United States is a harbinger of what is to come. The UK Health Security Agency has reported Influenza-mortality for the 2024-25 winter of about 7,800, up 53 per cent on the previous year. Most were people aged over 65, but the deaths of eight children aged four and under, were blamed on the flu. It's already taking a toll in WA, as reported by vaccine advocate Catherine Hughes who knows what she's talking about — all too well. 'Today was hard,' she posted on Light for Riley, the Facebook page set up in her son's name. 'I met with a beautiful mum who, just a couple of weeks ago, unexpectedly lost her young daughter to influenza. 'Before winter even began. Her gorgeous girl is just… gone. Please, if you can protect your kids… do it!' Too many have not. WA's flu vaccination rates this year are the worst in the country. Only 12.3 per cent of 0-4 year olds have been vaccinated, equal last with South Australia. The Vics are the best of the States at 18.8 per cent. Surely we can't let them win two flags this year? (Putting aside the territories, lest I admit the bureaucrats in the ACT have won anything.) Even our seniors are lagging, with only 50 per cent of the over-65s vaccinated. In a supposed cost of living crisis, surely anything that's free would generate a rush to line up longer than the fro yo queues that jam the footpath in Vic Park on a Friday night? But it is easier said than done for two working parents to find the time. Then when you do, one or both kids are already sick with something else and its back to waiting for a gap in the calendar. Western Australia has a troubled history with the flu vaccine, in particular, that does warrant caution. But caution should not be mistaken for conspiracies. Check the label, make sure you're being given the vaccine that's recommended for kids (VaxiGrip Tetra or FluQuadri) and ask your doctor if you have any questions. I'm no doctor, so I'll leave the last word to someone who is better qualified: PCH Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist and Kids Institute researcher Chris Blyth. 'We know that vaccines are the most cost effective public health intervention that we have,' Dr Blyth said. 'We know that vaccines do save lives and we know the vaccines that are on the schedule have been demonstrated to be safe and effective.' They're not a 100 per cent guarantee, but up to 70 per cent effective is better than naught. 'It's a moderately protective vaccine, but we know that flu can be a very severe disease and any level of protection certainly translates to people keeping out of hospital,' Dr Blyth said. Hospital staff are counting on that.
West Australian
31-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Free RSV jabs for infants extended as WA braces for surge in cases this winter
The State Government has extended its free RSV immunisation programme for babies and young children, as WA braces for a surge in cases of the potentially life threatening illness this winter. With the number of respiratory syncytial virus cases for 0-4-year-olds already totalling 688 so far this year, parents are being urged to take advantage of the free immunisations for infants. The free immunisations — for 0-2 year-olds and available at community health clinics and antenatal clinics for all, regardless of Medicare access — commenced last July and was supposed to finish at the end of June. But the WA-funded free vaccination programme will now run until July next year at a cost of $7.6 million. 'Every year 1 in 30 babies in WA require emergency care for RSV — a potentially life-threatening illness that can easily be prevented,' Premier Roger Cook said. 'My government's free RSV immunisation program has more than halved the number of hospitalisations in babies under one year old, saving parents the heartache of seeing their children seriously ill, and easing pressure on our health system.' RSV is a common virus that infects the airways and lungs. It spreads easily by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms of RSV include runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever and reduced appetite. It can also make breathing difficult and cause wheezing. According to the government, RSV is the leading cause of hospitalisation for infants during the first year of life and is eight times higher than admission from influenza. Every year one in 30 babies are hospitalised with RSV. The WA Government says the free immunisations have resulted in a 57 per cent reduction in hospitalisations of babies younger than 12 months, easing pressure on hospitals and emergency departments, and saving the WA health system millions of dollars in hospitalisation costs. Almost 22,000 babies were protected during the 2024 RSV season. 'The results from our nation-leading rollout of the RSV vaccine for infants were remarkable, sparing hundreds of families the distress of seeing their babies in emergency care,' Health Minister Meredith Hammat said. 'This vaccination saves lives. 'Continuing to support the program is an easy decision for our government, and one that we hope will bring peace of mind for parents and parents-to-be, particularly during these colder months.'
