What’s behind this year’s historic pertussis outbreak?
A record-breaking 42,428 pertussis cases have been notified this year compared with the previous high of about 39,000 in 2011 and a mere 2454 cases…
Tag: Infectious diseases
‘World-leading’: RSV vaccine free for pregnant women from 2025
Pregnant women can access respiratory syncytial virus vaccination under the National Immunisation Program starting next winter, the Federal Government has announced. Single-dose respiratory syncytial virus…
Cranberry juice and antiseptic help prevent UTIs: new guidance
International guidance backs cranberry juice for reducing symptomatic UTI risk in children, women with a history of recurrent UTIs and other high-risk cohorts. Methenamine hippurate…
Aged care nurse suspended over surprise baby shower weeks before COVID-19 outbreak killed 38 residents
A nurse who attended a surprise baby shower thrown for him at an aged care facility during a COVID-19 lockdown has been suspended for a…
Group A strep: a post-COVID threat
Need to know: Strep A (Streptococcus pyogenes or group A streptococcus) is estimated to cause over 18 million cases of severe disease and 500,000 deaths…
HIV and hepatitis B warning after investigators raid cosmetic clinic
Patients are at risk of HIV and hepatitis B due to poor hygiene practices at a cosmetic clinic where unregistered staff allegedly performed cosmetic surgeries,…
‘Very rare’ risk of Guillain–Barre syndrome after Shingrix vaccination: TGA
Recombinant herpes zoster vaccine Shingrix carries a “very rare” risk of Guillain–Barre syndrome, the TGA says. The regulator says patients should be advised to seek…
Patients to be given ‘cheat sheet’ for persuading their GP to prescribe doxy-PEP
Patients seeking doxycycline as a ‘morning-after pill’ are being turned away by GPs, says a patient sexual health organisation. ACON — formerly the AIDS Council…
We are losing treatment options: Why doctors need to fight back against the never-ending drug shortages
These are difficult times. As clinicians, we not only need to know all the medications prescribed within our scope of practice, but to recognise which…
CV risk lingers up to three years for patients who had COVID-19 before vaccine rollout, doctors say
Patients who had COVID-19 prior to the rollout of vaccines have an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events for up to three years after…
