Headlines on health

The Sydney Gateway Project has been acknowledged for achieving the rare 'Mates in Construction' accreditation in a Sydney event. Mates in Construction is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting greater mental health and suicide prevention within the construction industry and other blue-collar sectors.

The World Health Organisation has authorised a new malaria vaccine. The R-21 vaccine, developed by Oxford University scientists, is only the second to be created. The WHO has said while the previous vaccine is also effective, the new vaccine can be manufactured at a much larger scale, and would offer countries a cheaper option.

Two scientists have won the Nobel Prize for medicine for discoveries that enabled the development of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. The prize has been awarded to Katalin Karikó, a professor at Sagan’s University in Hungary and an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Drew Weissman, who performed his prizewinning research together with Professor Karikó at the University of Penns...

The 12 month long inquiry will be led by three experts. But it won't include individual state or territory decisions on lockdowns or border closures.

In Australia, around 1.5 million people care for someone living with dementia – and there is no cure. Dementia also affects thousands of young people, creating a heavy burden for parents. While experimental treatments offer some hope, a new report says families need more support as their child declines.

Acne makes life unpleasant for millions of children and adults worldwide, but Australian researchers may have discovered an effective treatment for the skin condition. A dermatology expert says treatment will help boost the self-confidence of victims.

About one in every six Australians, or 4.4 million people, live with disability. Many receive support from services separate from the NDIS - and large numbers also experience neglect, abuse and exploitation. The long-running Disability Royal Commission, established to hear their stories, has now come to a close in Sydney.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says it needs more funding to help deal with patients experiencing mental health issues. It comes ahead of a major world conference in October, which will discuss solutions on how general practitioners can best provide mental healthcare.

Drug safety advocates, lawyers, and doctors are behind a renewed push to introduce pill testing sites ahead of the summer festival season. In an open letter to the New South Wales premier they claim it will save lives, by giving users the chance to avoid potentially lethal additives in common party drugs.

New research has warned of an increased risk of drowning on public holidays. 281 people have lost their lives to drowning in the last 12 months, prompting experts to call for an increase in awareness.

Scientists have created embryo models to help study the mysteries of early human development, the medical problems that happen before birth and why many pregnancies fail. A new study making models from stem cells, rather than an egg and sperm has been released.

A HIV program credited with saving millions of lives around the world is feared to be under threat as its funding comes up for renewal in September. The reason is a political fight in the United States over abortion funding.

In the lead up to World Suicide Prevention Day, mental health professionals are saying high-pressure occupations contribute to increased suicidal tendencies. But there are indications that there is inadequate provision for mental health care in Australia. A new app has been released to help combat the situation.

A Senate inquiry has been investigating concerns over concussions in professional and community sport. Its final report has called for a national strategy and for government to take a greater hand in addressing the issue.

Australia is seeing a decline in a free bowel screening test participation that is a proven life-saver. Cancer Council Victoria is urging more eligible people to take part in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program.

While around 75 per cent of the Australian population experiences trauma, only around five to ten per cent will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. But rates of PTSD are rising, with the Royal Commission into Veteran and Defence Suicide again drawing attention to the condition.

The Pharmacy Guild has abandoned its campaign against the rollout of 60 day prescriptions. The changes to almost 100 medications come into effect from September 1st - allowing patients to access twice as many doses.

A new study published by Nature Medicine has inspected multiple biomarkers, or substances in our blood, which help diagnose people with long COVID. Those experiencing the condition are welcoming new research, as they suffer from what is often described as an invisible illness.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme has come under intense scrutiny in recent times, both for its cost and for how challenging some participants have found it to get support. Some of the debate has focused on the support needs of autistic people. But there's concern they're under particular pressure as the NDIS plans for its future.

INTERVIEW: A parasitic roundworm has been pulled from a woman's brain in Canberra in a startling medical first. Researchers at the Australian National University and the Canberra Hospital discovered the live eight-centimetre Ophidascaris robertsi roundworm after detecting an atypical lesion in the brain of a 64-year-old woman who had complained of memory lapses. The doctors believe the woman caugh...

A 25-year-old woman in Germany has become an early-recipient of the world's first medically-approved 3-D printed bionic arm. Dominika Frycz says the arm allows her to do simple things like walk her dog.

Transgender adults say they are worried about finding welcoming spaces to live - not just in the present, but in their later years when they may require more health care. Their concern has grown as a wave of anti-trans legislation is enacted across the United States.

A new study has found communities with poor access to mental health services are eight times more likely to be youth suicide hotspots. It's the first time researchers have been able to show a strong link between service access and higher or lower suicide rates.

Ovarian cancer has the lowest survival rate of any women's cancer, killing roughly one thousand women in Australia every year. But now, there's a new blood test that offers hope for detection, and improving outcomes for the women diagnosed with the disease.

The experiences of children and young people living with an alcoholic or a recovering alcoholic can often go unheard. Alateen is a program which aims to address this silence, providing a safe space for young people to find support.