Category Archives: infectious diseases

Will social media prove useful in efforts to tackle antibiotic resistance?

April 23, 2012 – 4:25 pm

As previously reported, Sweden has shown it is possible to reduce prescribing of antibiotics. Can Australia manage similar? The NPS is hoping so – as you may have heard, it has launched a campaign using social media and mainstream media to engage the wider community in tackling inappropriate use of these drugs. (And on Thursday, the [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in consumer health information, general practice, Media-related issues, pharmaceutical industry, public health, social media and healthcare | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Marking International Chagas Day and creating some noise about a silent disease

April 16, 2012 – 6:10 pm

It’s a strange old world. In some quarters, there are concerns that many people are getting too much medicine – for example, see this report at The Atlantic, titled The Preposterous Epidemic of Pre-Diseases. It is about the push for treating “preconditions”, the subject of a talk given recently by Dr Ivan Oransky, the executive [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in global health, public health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

The Grim Reaper: 25 years on, do we need another such campaign?

April 4, 2012 – 10:02 am

One of the more famous fear-based public health campaigns – the Grim Reaper – is marking a significant anniversary. In the article below, Daniel Reeders, a senior project worker in multicultural HIV, sexual health and viral hepatitis prevention in Melbourne – and blogger – reflects upon the legacy of the campaign over the past 25 [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in HIV/AIDS, Media-related issues, public health | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

Marking World TB Day with a call for urgent action on an international “health emergency”

March 23, 2012 – 6:55 pm

On the eve of World TB Day, governments, international donors and drug companies are being urged to step up their commitment to fighting a “health emergency”. In the article below, Dr Marianne Gale, a TB and HIV Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières, describes the terrible toll that this disease is taking upon people around the world. [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in global health, public health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

A welcome development: public disclosure of infection control performance of hospitals

March 20, 2012 – 8:50 am

The recent release of data about how well hospitals perform when it comes to ensuring staff wash their hands drew widespread media coverage. In the article below, Professor Lyn Gilbert, an infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist with a strong interest in preventing healthcare-associated infections, provides some of the wider historical context. *** Making sense of [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in evidence-based issues, Hospitals, MyHospitals website, quality and safety of health care, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments (2)

A rather large wrap of recent Croakey articles: public health, health reform, media coverage of health and more

January 11, 2012 – 10:25 am

As previously mentioned, Croakey readers are welcome to sign up for (rather irregular) summaries of posts. If you’d like to join the mailing list, please send your email or leave it below. Here is the latest compilation, covering from 6 October – December 23, 2011. The latest readership figures are now also available, showing that [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in abortion, alcohol, cancer, child health, childbirth and maternity services, climate change, complementary medicines, conflicts of interest, consumer health information, death and dying, dental care, evidence-based issues, Food, global health, health and medical research, health financing and costs, Health inequalities, health reform, health workforce, Hospitals, Indigenous health, Media Doctor Australia, Medicare Locals, mental health, MyHospitals website, obesity, pain, palliative care, pharmacy, physical activity, prevention, primary health care, public health, quality and safety of health care, rural and remote health, SensaSlim, social determinants of health, social media and healthcare, TGA, The Conversation, tobacco control, vaccination, vaccines, WHO | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Is antibiotic resistance the “greatest failure of modern medicine”?

December 14, 2011 – 1:18 pm

(Following on from the previous post on infection control in hospitals.) The Centre for Research in Critical Infection held a meeting recently at the University of Sydney, where the threat of antibiotic resistance was a major topic of discussion. In the article below, the Centre’s director, Dr Jon Iredell, suggests that the lack of policy [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in influenza, NHMRC, quality and safety of health care, swine flu | Tagged , | Comments (0)

We need more action on hospital infections: expert

December 14, 2011 – 11:57 am

The Centre for Research in Critical Infection held a meeting recently at the University of Sydney, where the hazards of antibiotic resistance and barriers to infection control were key topics of discussion. Professor Lyn Gilbert, an infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist, described how public reporting of hospital infections is helping to focus health services [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in adverse events, Hospitals, MyHospitals website, quality and safety of health care | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

The GFC and global health: why Australia needs to step up to the plate

December 8, 2011 – 10:48 am

The global financial crisis has hit promising work tackling the neglected diseases that affect the world’s poor, according to a new report. Australia could be doing more to assist, argues Mary Moran, Executive Director of Policy Cures, a not-for-profit which provides analysis and decision-making tools for those involved in creating new pharmaceuticals for neglected diseases. *** [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in global health, health and medical research, health financing and costs, HIV/AIDS, poverty, public health, vaccines | Comments (1)

New immunisation incentives are good policy, and merit sensible debate

November 25, 2011 – 6:11 pm

Julie Leask writes: The Federal Government has announced a major shake up to the way vaccination is linked to financial incentives, which will begin taking effect from July 2012. Changes to financial incentives for immunising The former immunisation allowance, with instalments of $129 paid at 2 and 5 years of age, has been scrapped. Now [...]

By Melissa Sweet | Also posted in child health, public health, vaccination | Comments (17)