Category Archives: influenza

Why can’t we have a rational discussion about the merits of pandemic flu vaccination?

August 31, 2009 – 12:02 pm

In some public health circles, it is seen as verging on cardinal sin to raise questions in public about the safety or effectiveness of vaccines. The fear is that even mentioning these issues risks lending fuel to the anti-vaccination brigade.
One problem with this view is that is inhibits a discussion that we need to have [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Media-related issues, Uncategorized, infectious diseases, public health, swine flu | Tagged , , , | Comments (6)

Why the secrecy about data, when it could help everything from influenza to child protection

August 7, 2009 – 1:27 pm

The Department of Health and Ageing has called for submissions on proposals for developing healthcare identifiers and related privacy legislation. A Croakey reader, Dr Trevor Kerr is worried that the submissions are not going to be made publicly available.
Below he gives two pertinent case studies of the potential benefits that could flow from healthcare identifiers [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in child health, e-health | Tagged , , , , | Comments (3)

Amidst fears about pregnancy and swine flu, don’t miss the bigger picture

July 23, 2009 – 1:51 pm

Fears about the impact of swine flu upon pregnant women are generating alarm and some confusion. And not only in Australia. In Britain, various health and medical sources have been giving the public conflicting advice, according to this report in the British Medical Journal.
Meanwhile, Professor Peter McIntyre, Director, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Indigenous health, child health, childbirth and maternity services, swine flu | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

Has our response to swine flu gone over the top? Maybe, maybe not…

June 25, 2009 – 2:35 pm

Given the relative mildness of swine flu, has Australia’s response been appropriate?
It’s a worthy question that will, no doubt, be debated for some time.
In the journal Rural and Remote Health, Dr Alexander Hamilton, a senior resident medical officer at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, puts forward one view. While many believe the response has been [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, swine flu | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

On swine flu and the media

May 4, 2009 – 6:59 pm

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma has published this tipsheet for responsible reporting on the swine flu, compiled by Times-Picayune health reporter John Pope.
The tips are fairly straightforward; the only one likely to raise eyebrows suggests avoiding terms such as “epidemic”.
This tips says: “Watch your language. People are already anxious, so don’t make the [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Journal articles, Media-related issues, global health, swine flu | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Staying up to date on swine flu

April 29, 2009 – 12:30 pm

Anyone can sign up for email updates here from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US.
Don’t be deceived by the title – the updates are coming fast and furious.
But let’s just keep some sense of perspective; at this stage, the numbers of deaths are miniscule [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in infectious diseases, poverty, public health, swine flu | Tagged , , | Comments (0)