Latest news with #Healthdirect
West Australian
6 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
RSV cases surpass 2024 numbers as flu notifications exceed 13,000 despite strong immunisation uptake
A winter surge in respiratory syncytial virus has seen the number of cases surpass those at the same time last year despite strong immunisation uptake. Latest figures reveal 4124 cases have been reported to the Department of Health to date, up from 3299 this time last year. 'RSV notifications substantially increased in the past week in keeping with an upward trend,' the department said. Cases are on the rise in the Goldfields, Midwest and Pilbara regions in particular. There were another 129 hospital admissions, with an increase in child admissions in particular, bringing the yearly total so far to 881. It's fewer than the number of admissions last year, in large part thanks to WA's free RSV immunisation program for infants. Strong uptake saw more than 500 families avoid hospital stays last winter. More than 2000 of the current cases of the highly infectious virus are in children under five, despite more than 16,500 infants and pregnant women being immunised against the virus to date. RSV is a common but highly contagious virus that infects the airway and lungs. It is easily spread by coughing and sneezing. More than half of all babies will be infected with the virus before their first birthday, and in WA, one in every 30 babies are admitted to hospital with RSV each year. Symptoms include a runny nose, fever, coughing, sneezing, and a reduced appetite. It is usually mild but can cause other more serious illnesses like pneumonia and bronchiolitis. It can also increase the risk of longer-term breathing problems such as childhood asthma. The influx of RSV comes amid a horror flu season with cases now exceeding 13,000 and set to pass the 2024 yearly total in the coming weeks. Earlier this month, the Department of Health sent an urgent reminder to medical staff to ensure they're giving patients the right RSV immunisation after receiving 13 reports of the incorrect jab being given to West Australians between February and June. No adverse events were reported. Healthdirect 1800 022 222
Perth Now
6 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
RSV cases surge in WA despite high vaccine uptake
A winter surge in respiratory syncytial virus has seen the number of cases surpass those at the same time last year despite strong immunisation uptake. Latest figures reveal 4124 cases have been reported to the Department of Health to date, up from 3299 this time last year. 'RSV notifications substantially increased in the past week in keeping with an upward trend,' the department said. Cases are on the rise in the Goldfields, Midwest and Pilbara regions in particular. There were another 129 hospital admissions, with an increase in child admissions in particular, bringing the yearly total so far to 881. It's fewer than the number of admissions last year, in large part thanks to WA's free RSV immunisation program for infants. Strong uptake saw more than 500 families avoid hospital stays last winter. More than 2000 of the current cases of the highly infectious virus are in children under five, despite more than 16,500 infants and pregnant women being immunised against the virus to date. RSV is a common but highly contagious virus that infects the airway and lungs. It is easily spread by coughing and sneezing. More than half of all babies will be infected with the virus before their first birthday, and in WA, one in every 30 babies are admitted to hospital with RSV each year. Symptoms include a runny nose, fever, coughing, sneezing, and a reduced appetite. It is usually mild but can cause other more serious illnesses like pneumonia and bronchiolitis. It can also increase the risk of longer-term breathing problems such as childhood asthma. The influx of RSV comes amid a horror flu season with cases now exceeding 13,000 and set to pass the 2024 yearly total in the coming weeks. Earlier this month, the Department of Health sent an urgent reminder to medical staff to ensure they're giving patients the right RSV immunisation after receiving 13 reports of the incorrect jab being given to West Australians between February and June. No adverse events were reported. Healthdirect 1800 022 222
ABC News
26-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
How to limit the spread of COVID, cold and flu at home in winter
Winter can be a contagious time of year for everything from COVID-19 to the common cold. Once someone in your household feels the first ominous tickle at the back of their throat, everyone else can feel doomed to follow. "It's always a challenge within households because we know households are the place where viruses like respiratory viruses spread really efficiently," says Catherine Bennett, Deakin University's chair of epidemiology. But there are ways to limit the risk of illnesses spreading from one family member or housemate to another, she says. Professor Bennett says if someone within your household becomes sick, it is possible you have already been exposed before they had any symptoms. However, if the sick person can isolate from the rest of household it's still worth it, she says. Ideally this would look like using a separate bedroom and bathroom to others. She says this degree of isolation is not possible or realistic for many households. Isolation can also look like someone sleeping on the couch to "reduce their risk of inhaling the virus" from their unwell partner overnight, she says. Medical director for government-funded online public health information service Healthdirect Darran Foo says if possible, the symptomatic person should remain isolated from the rest of the household until they no longer have active symptoms. For example, "no more ongoing fevers, no more coughing up lots of phlegm". If someone in the household is symptomatic, and isolating completely is not possible, Professor Bennett says a mask can help protect the rest of the household. "Wearing a mask if you're unwell can reduce your risk of passing it on to other people." Dr Foo also advises wearing a mask if it's possible and practical, particularly if you live in a smaller home like an apartment. Dr Foo recommends throwing used tissues away immediately and avoiding sharing cups, plates and cutlery in the household when someone is unwell, whether from a cold or COVID-19. "The biggest thing really is to maintain good hygiene, especially good hand hygiene," Dr Foo says. "Lots of hand washing and using sanitisers as much as possible." Professor Benett also says you should "wash your own hands more often in between touching things, even around the home" when you or someone else is sick. She recommends wiping down commonly used surfaces — such as the bathroom — more often. Any surfaces where someone has coughed may have droplets over them, she says. Professor Bennett says "bugs do so well [in winter because] we can't air our houses out". Poor ventilation will make it easier for viruses to spread, but she says increasing air turnover and introducing outdoor air can help. Open doors and windows when you can "so it's not the same air pushing right through the household that's around the person who's unwell." Dr Foo also says the more ventilation you can get at home the better, while of course avoiding hypothermia. Dr Foo says "the general advice all remains the same" if someone in the household is potentially more vulnerable. However, he says people more at risk of becoming seriously unwell may want to consult their regular healthcare professional who knows their medical history. "It really depends on that person's risk, their comorbidities and what ongoing conditions they have — and also to identify whether it's appropriate to use antiviral medication at that point in time." Professor Bennett says being diligent with mask wearing, hand washing and sanitising surfaces is particularly worth doing if someone in the house is vulnerable. Professor Bennett says being up to date with COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations will offer another layer of protection. "If you can't avoid infection in the household — and that's the hardest place to do it — then actually having some protection from severe illness is really important in influenza." In larger shared households there are more people to bring viruses home and that extra protection from vaccination is even more important, "particularly from severe illness in the vulnerable people in our households", Professor Bennett says. Dr Foo also encourages people to stay up to date with their vaccinations, "especially their annual flu vaccination and their COVID booster shots". This is general information only. For personal advice, you should see a qualified medical practitioner.
ABC News
23-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
What you need to know about dietary fibre and digestion
People share a lot of their lives on social media. This can even include digestion details, with content about "staying regular", bloating and fibre far from off limits on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Food and nutrition scientist Emma Beckett, based in Newcastle/Awabakal, says she is glad these conversations are bringing fibre into focus. "I feel like lately everything's about protein and prioritising protein, and we've kind of forgotten about everything else, including fibre," she says. "Talking about digestive health — particularly pooping — was very taboo for a long time." Dr Beckett says fibre falls into two major categories, soluble fibre and insoluble fibre. She says soluble fibre "forms a gel-like substance when it's mixed with water". This gel-like consistency "helps us to feel fuller for longer" and some soluble fibres can also be classified as prebiotics, which help feed beneficial gut bacteria. According to Australia's public health website Healthdirect, soluble fibre is found in oats and barley, fruit and vegetables. It's also found in legumes such as chickpeas, lentils and beans. You may have heard insoluble fibre described as roughage. "I remember at school being told that fibre is like the gut's toothbrush," Dr Beckett says. Insoluble fibre is found in high-fibre and wholegrain breads and cereals, the outer skins of fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds. The Australian dietary guidelines recommend 30 grams of fibre a day for adult men and 25 grams for women. Dr Beckett says while fibre falls into two main categories (and even more subcategories), dietary recommendations are based on general fibre intake. Considering daily recommendations and how often we eat, she says meals with 10 grams of fibre or more are a "fibre superstar", and 6 to 10 grams is a "good source". However, Dr Beckett says prioritising ingredients with fibre is more practical than "obsessing over the grams". "If you're having vegetables in your lunch and your dinner, if you're eating as many legumes as possible, if you're eating as many whole grains as possible, then you don't even need to worry about the number." Vincent Ho is a gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at Western Sydney University, and says patients are often confused about which foods are high in fibre. Dr Ho says a supplement is not enough to get your recommended daily intake, with a tablespoon of psyllium husk only containing about 2 grams of fibre. Megan Rebuli is a research dietician in health and biosecurity at the CSIRO in Adelaide, on the traditional country of the Kaurna people. If you're looking to get more fibre at mealtimes you can make some simple swaps, she says. "For example, swapping white bread for wholegrain bread [or] swapping white pasta for wholegrain pasta." You can also add legumes to salads and curries, she says. Dr Beckett says "generally speaking, Australians don't eat enough legumes" and they're a "stand-out" when it comes to high-fibre foods. Dr Beckett says these recipes contain more than 10 grams of protein per serve. Dr Beckett says "one of the immediate consequences of not having enough fibre in your diet is constipation." This could lead to extreme discomfort and even haemorrhoids from straining, she says. What's considered normal frequency for a bowel movement varies person to person and "it could be anywhere from three times a day to three times a week". Dr Ho says constipation can also lead to anal fissures (small tears around the area) "exacerbated by constipation and straining". He says eating fibre can help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and also reduces the risk of colorectal cancer (also known as bowel cancer). If you're not getting enough, "your cholesterol levels and your blood sugar levels can be elevated", as well as your cancer risk. Ms Rebuli says being physically active and consuming dietary fibre has been shown to decrease your risk, but there are a range of lifestyle and genetic factors that may also play a part. This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.
West Australian
20-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Federal election: What Labor's win means for Australia's $88m agriculture industry
Labor went to the Federal election without a firm agriculture policy but its resounding election win means a suite of farming-related pledges will be rolled out during the next four years. Creating a National Food Security Strategy, bolstering farm safety and extending the instant asset write-off for another year were among the most significant promises the party made to agriculture before the May 3 Federal election. But Anthony Albanese's plan to ban live sheep exports by May 1, 2028 now looks set to become a reality as the Federal Government pushes on with rolling out its $139m industry transition package. While funding commitments targeted directly at the regions were scarce, health was a significant focus with $204.5 million to improve existing and expand Healthdirect services, $200m to create a 24-hour telehealth service, $135.2m for online mental health support and $32m for men's mental health services. The Prime Minister's planned live export ban and fears about Labor's tax on unrealised gains policy have been criticised by farming groups, but move to pour $3.5m investment into creating National Food Security Strategy was widely welcomed. The strategy — announced prior to the election — would recognise the importance of safeguarding food supply chains and bolster the resilience of Australia's agriculture and food production systems. Its plan to impose a 30 per cent tax on unrealised capital gains made superannuation accounts worth $3m or more was one of the most contentious policy, with National Farmers Federation estimating there are about 17,000 SMSF accounts that hold farming land. Other policies welcomed included a $2.5m injection to keep Farmsafe Australia running for the next three years, with after the number of people killed on farms doubled to 72 last year. A further $20m was committed to a campaign to encourage more Australians to buy locally made products. The On Farm Connectivity Program — which offers rebates of up to 50 per cent on equipment and technology — received a $20m investment in a new round, worth up to $30,000 per applicant. Labor also committed to strategically examine the potential to grow a biofuels feedstock industry to support Australia's transition to net zero and backed the NFF's roadmap for agriculture to become a $100 billion industry by 2030. The Federal Government also pledged an extension of the $20,000 instant asset write-off until June 30 next year, a move welcomed by small businesses but short of the Coalition's pledge to offer a permanent write-off. In announcing the policy, Mr Albanese said the short-term incentive was designed to encourage businesses to spend as a matter of priority. Community infrastructure was also a focus of Labor's pre-election commitments, with its Community Upgrade Fund receiving a boost to enable local facilities like pools, libraries and sports clubs to share $100 million to become more energy efficient. Labor also committed to a Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation to bridge mobile telecommunications blackspots, requiring mobile operators to provide equitable access to baseline outdoor mobile coverage across Australia. Labor's $200m to create a 24-hour telehealth service, dubbed '1800MEDICARE', will be introduced by January next year, while a pledge Movember, Men's Sheds and male-specific mental health services will receive a significant boost. This includes $8.3 million to support another two years of Men's Shed Initiative's National Shed Development Program, and $7.4 million to expand Movember's Ahead of the Game program, delivered in partnership with the AFL. Also included is $3.0 million to Healthy Male to support the delivery of Plus Paternal Initiative, and $2.0 million to the Black Dog Institute to research men's mental health and suicide prevention at the Danny Frawley Centre for Health and Wellbeing. The controversial indexation of excise on on draught beer has been frozen for two years, and the Federal Government will left a the $350,000 excise remission cap to $400,000 for all eligible alcohol manufacturers. It also committed $7m in the recent budget to support horticultural conferences, agritech events and other agricultural trade shows for two years from July 1, including $2m for the world's biggest sheep, lamb and wool conference Lambex. It has also pledged $6.8m in 2025-26 in international engagement and technical market access activities to support agricultural exports in a changing trade environment.
