Health Report - Separate stories podcast

VicHealth is the world's first health promotion foundation, with the goal of preventing people from becoming unwell.  The Victorian Government plans to absorb the foundation into the government, threatening its independence.  Also, an agency in the United States changes its recommendations around hepatitis B vaccination in babies. 

Up to 30 per cent of Australian adults could be living with metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Most of those people won’t be aware they have the condition, and for those that are aware, the diagnosis can come as a shock. So what can be done to treat fatty liver disease? And can it be reversed entirely? Guest/s Professor James O’Beirne , consultant hepatologist at Sunshine Coast Univ...

While Australia is still determined to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035, there are early warning signs emerging. Rates of vaccination against HPV, the commonest cause of nearly all cervical cancers, have fallen. And they’re still lagging in boys. Experts suggest school vaccination programs are struggling because of rising absenteeism. They want more young people to know that they can receive a fr...

A study has found Indigenous babies in remote Australia are born with more diverse gut bacteria.  While this is a key marker of health, it's still unclear why these babies will grow up to have an increased risk of chronic disease.  It highlights how Westernisation could be having a detrimental impact on the health on First Nations people.  Guest/s Professor Leonard Harrison , the Walter and Eliza...

A look at some of the Health Report correspondence this week. You can email us at healthreport@abc.net.au

Another study looking into the wide-reaching benefits of the shingles vaccine suggests it can stave off mild cognitive impairment and even slow down the course of dementia.  Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) releases its guidelines for the use of GLP-1s in overweight and obesity.  And updated advice for prescribing these medications when it comes to birth control and mental health.  Refere...

For many women, getting an intra-uterine device (IUD) inserted is a painful and scary experience. The level of pain relief offered can depend on the clinic and can be restricted by out-of-pocket costs the patient can’t afford. A trial is underway in Victoria offering a free pain-relieving "green whistle" to public patients, after a state enquiry into women’s pain. Guest/s Dr Felicity Dent, GP and...

Everything from your height to your heart disease risk can be determined by your genes and your environment. A major study looked at 34 characteristics and diseases to ask, how much can genetics determine? In some cases the environment – where you live, how you live and what you eat – had more sway than previously thought. Guest/s Professor Loic Yengo , group leader at the Statistical Genomics Lab...

Both antibiotics and vaccines can be life-saving medicines, but it turns out they don’t necessary play nice together. New research suggests direct antibiotics in early life can make a baby’s response to vaccination weaker.

A look at some of the Health Report correspondence this week. You can email us at healthreport@abc.net.au

Changes mean supplements containing more than 50mg of vitamin B6 will need to be bought over the counter with advice from a pharmacist. But the changes won't come into affect for another year and a half. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) says industry needs time to prepare.  Also, the H5N1 strain of bird flu lands on Australian territory for the first time. Are we prepared for it on the m...

CT scans can be vital in diagnosing disease, but they do come with small increased risks because of the radiation exposure. A recent US study found that  if current practices persist, CT-associated cancer could account for up to five per cent of all new diagnoses. So what can be done to drive down the risk? One radiologist thinks mandating informed consent before a scan is done would be a good sta...

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that causes red, scaly patches on the skin. But evidence is emerging that psoriasis goes more than skin deep, and can have effects on metabolism and heart health. Given the condition is systemic yet incurable, what should people do to keep symptoms under control? Guest/s Dr Annika Smith , consultant dermatologist in Sydney References Mediterranean Diet and Pati...

It’s a question dentists get a lot: what inspired you to get a job where you look in people’s mouths all day? We take a class at the University of Sydney’s school of dentistry to get a sense of what draws people to dentistry.

A look at some of the Health Report correspondence this week. You can email us at healthreport@abc.net.au

A Senate committee has handed down 47 recommendations after an inquiry into the extent, regulation and management of PFAS "forever chemicals". Also a major journal publishes a series on the issue of ultra-processed foods which have been associated with a range of chronic health conditions.  And results from a drug company-funded trial looking at a pill version of a GLP-1, as the race to develop or...

It has long been thought that caffeine exacerbates abnormal heart rhythms. However in the first trial of its kind, researchers have compared a cup of coffee to complete abstinance from caffeine – and the results surprised them. The outcomes means patients with atrial fibrillation can have a cup of joe without worrying they’re doing harm. Guest/s Professor Chris Wong , cardiologist at the Universit...

The guidelines for asthma care in adolescents and adults have been changed, but what about children? Children aged six to 11 years are still being prescribed the blue puffer as first-line therapy, while older people are prescribed a combination inhaler with a corticosteroid. Now a major New Zealand study published in the Lancet suggests children should also be swapped over to a combined inhaler to...

Liquid biopsies are tests that look for traces of cancer in bodily fluids like blood, urine and saliva. The hope is these non-invasive biopsies become more widespread to pick up and and track cancer sooner. At the moment applications are limited – while they’re being used in existing cancer cases, we’re far off when it comes to screening. Guest/s Professor Sarah-Jane Dawson , clinician-scientist a...

A look at some of the Health Report correspondence this week. You can email us at healthreport@abc.net.au

Government spending on public health has fallen $2.3 billion from last year, back down to pre-pandemic levels.  This funding not only support vaccination and cancer screening, but campaigns aiming to prevent disease.  Also, a major study raises questions about how often children should have their blood pressure tested. References Government expenditure on public health activities in Australia 2023...

We’re not talking about coeliac disease here, which is an autoimmune condition where the immune system overreacts to gluten. Some people experience gut and other symptoms after eating gluten-based or wheat-based foods without a coeliac diagnosis. However a new review suggests some people with this sensitivity could be reacting to something else in the diet, not gluten. Gut symptom study — a world-...

A drug used to treat acne and to prevent malaria, doxycycline, could reduce the risk adolescents developing schizophrenia. The association was seen in a study looking at more than 50,000 adolescents who attended psychiatric services in Finland. The authors have called it a "tentative but exciting possibility" – but caution more research is needed. Guest/s Professor Ian Kelleher , child and adolesc...

Between 30 and 50 per cent of cancers could be preventable, and according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) we're ignoring a big one.  In up to five per cent of all cancers, alcohol consumption plays a role. But the director of IARC says we're not doing enough to drive home the risk.  Guest/s Dr Elisabete Weiderpass , director of the International Agency for Research on Can...

A look at some of the Health Report correspondence this week. You can email us at healthreport@abc.net.au