Eighteen years ago, the community didn’t know as much about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) as we do today – for instance, putting baby to sleep on a sheepskin was considered to be a safe practice. If this had been identified as a risk factor back then, a girl named Molly might be celebrating her 18th birthday this year.
‘Molly was eight months old,’ says her mother, Jill Green, national co-ordinator of health promotion and bereavement support at SIDS and Kids. ‘Back then, it was promoted that we sleep babies... Read more
Ever wondered how well the various head lice preventers and treatment brands work? New research from the University of South Australia has shown who's who in the battle against creepy-crawlies.
The research, which was funded by Hit Nitz 4 6, saw researchers Dr Craig Williams and Ben Smitheram test the effectiveness of several commercially available head lice products on lice and eggs over a six-month period.
They included a range of products designed to prevent infestation as well as a selection of products... Read more
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has welcomed moves by the NSW Government to improve vaccination rates: the move will see children who are not vaccinated (or whose parents cannot supply a conscientious objection form signed by a GP) facing exclusion from child care facilities.
The NSW Government’s decision to introduce the legislation, aimed at maximising the number of children being vaccinated, is good health policy, says PSA president Grant Kardachi.
‘Despite some opinions to the contrary, the... Read more
Health experts and anti-vaccination lobby groups have slammed the push to keep unvaccinated kids from childcare centres and schools—but for very different reasons.
News Limited publications have campaigned that childcare centres and preschools should be able to ban unvaccinated children under a proposed ‘no jab, no play’ policy. Sydney’s Daily Telegraph also claimed this had the support of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
The campaign is ‘flawed’, say two academics, in a paper published by Sydney University. Dr... Read more
A Blacktown GP has highlighted the importance of childhood vaccination at a ceremony to reward parents for having their children immunised, reminding the community that immunisation is the safest and most effective way to protect community health.
A health care initiative run by Western Sydney Medicare Local (WSML) has helped improve childhood vaccination rates in the region: during a six-week campaign, 41 general practices participated across 6 local government areas in Sydney’s west to raise awareness of the need... Read more
