Depressed mums at risk of abuse: study

More than one third of all mums who suffer depression in the first year after giving birth are being abused by their partners, a study shows.

A survey of 1300 first-time mums in Melbourne found 16 per cent reported symptoms of depression before their baby turned one.

Of those, about 40 per cent were also physically or emotionally abused by their husband or boyfriend.

Associate professor Stephanie Brown, a co-author of the study by the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, said while mums had been successfully encouraged over the years to report postnatal depression, partner violence remained a taboo topic.

"It tends to be a hidden thing because the year after birth is when there's lots of pressure on families and it's difficult for women to discuss abuse with their friends, families and health professionals because it's meant to be a time of joy," she said.

"But the results from the study are sending a message that it's important for GPs and other health service workers to encourage women to seek help when they are feeling depressed or when they are being physically or emotionally abused because all these issues are common in the year after childbirth."

Emotional abuse was more common than physical abuse among the mums with postnatal depression.

Mums were also more likely to report symptoms of depression after their baby reached six months of age.

Assoc Prof Brown said that finding suggested most depressed mums could miss out on treatment because current guidelines suggest women be screened for postnatal depression in the first three months after giving birth.

"We would recommend that GPs regularly inquire about women's emotional wellbeing and issues in their relationships with their partner rather than just limiting that discussion to the first consultation or those soon after the birth," she said.

"The emotional wellbeing of the mum and her physical wellbeing does have an impact on the health of the child and that's one reason why we need to be concerned to enable women to get appropriate support."

The study, published in BJOG - An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, found women most at risk of partner violence were likely to have a history of depression, relationship problems, be aged 18-24 or over 35, and single.

Separate US studies have found that physical and emotional violence in a relationship tends to escalate in the year after a child is born.

Source http://news.ninemsn.com.au/health/8385907/depressed-mums-at-risk-of-abuse-study

To Lower Australia’s Rising Obesity Rates, Tax Soft Drinks

To battle Australia's rising obesity rates, American psychologist Kelly Brownell suggested a tax on soft drinks at the 46th Australian Psychological Association's yearly conference on Wednesday.

He favors a one penny tax per ounce on beverages that have added sugar. Twenty U.S. cities and states are considering her proposal, but have not passed laws.

Mr Brownell estimated that by taxing soft drinks, consumption would go down by 10 to 23 per cent and health care cost arising from ailments linked with excessive intake of sugar such as obesity and diabetes would go down by $50 billion.

He compared taxing sugary beverages to taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

"We have seen how effective tobacco taxes have been in reducing rates of smoking, so there is no reason to believe such taxes wouldn't be as effective in reducing the consumption of high sugar and fat foods," Xinhua quoted Mr Brownell, who is the director for Food Policy and Obesity of Yale University's Rudd Center.

"A soft drink tax is a good place to start," Mr Brownell said.

He attributed popularity of soft drinks to human nature to eat what is readily available, cost the least and heavily marketed.

"Food companies know that people have trouble eating reasonable amounts of foods engineered to taste so good, so they load food with things that boost profits but contribute to ill health, such as sugar, fat and salt," The Canberra Times quoted Mr Brownell.

Obesity rates in Australia have doubled in the past two decades, while over 17 million Australians considered obese or overweight.

Mr Brownell's proposal could be considered timely as Australia ends a two-day tax forum on Wednesday.

While fruit juices are considered healthier alternatives to soft drinks, a recent study raised the alarm that frequent fruit juice drinkers ran the risk of colon cancer because of the high sugar content of the popular beverage.

Source http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/225168/20111005/american-psychologist-suggest-lowering-australia-s-rising-obesity-rates-by-taxing-soft-drinks.htm

Tasmanian devils undergo plastic surgery

Scientists have used plastic surgery to shed new light on the deadly cancer wiping out tasmanian devils.

The devils are being killed by a contagious facial tumour disease transferred from animal-to-animal through biting.

Until now, scientists assumed the animals inbreeding was to blame.

They believed the low genetic diversity in the population meant devils could not reject the invading tumour cells.

But a plastic surgery experiment is making scientists reconsider the reason why the devils are being affected by the deadly tumours.

Associate Professor Greg Woods from the Menzies Research Institute says a plastic surgeon from a local hospital came to a bush site near Hobart to do skin grafts on devils.

"He really revolutionised the whole technique and brought out all his equipment," he said.

"What was really amazing was this was done out in the field, in the back of a truck ... the surgery went beautifully so it was really quite a nice way in which to do this research."

But there was a surprising result. Associate Professor Woods had assumed that the devils would accept skin grafts from each other.

That would have confirmed the researchers theory that the animals were catching the facial cancer from each other because the devils are so inbred.

But the devil's did not accept each other's skin.

"The graft got rejected quite nicely, which shows that the devils do have enough diversity to recognise foreign tissue," he said.

"This is really good news for the devil because it means that the devils' immune system can recognise foreign tissue.

"The challenge now is to work out what is special about those tumour cells to allow them to hide from the devils' immune system.

"I think it may be that the tumour is camouflaged; it's got a camouflage."

University of Sydney Associate Professor Kathy Belov, who has been studying the devil's genetics, says the researchers will now start studying the tumour cells.

"This has probably confused us more than anything else," she said.

"But we are going to come back and start thinking about what it means and how we can use this information to help us beat the disease."

The devil is considered an endangered species and faces extinction in about three decades if a cure for the disease is not found.

Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-22/20110722-plastic-surgery-sheds-light-on-devil-tumour/2806502

More properties under Hendra quarantine

FOUR properties have now been quarantined at Logan City, south of Brisbane, after a horse died from the Hendra virus at a Park Ridge property on Monday night.

Biosecurity Queensland says there was just one horse on the property but any of the seven horses on surrounding properties may have come into contact with it.

Samples will be taken from those horses for testing.

Staff from Queensland Health and Biosecurity Queensland have been doorknocking neighbours of the property where the horse died to provide information about the virus and confirm the location of other horses in the area.

Veterinarian Kylie Schaaf treated the horse at Park Ridge and is one of two people being tested for the virus in the area. The other is the horse's owner.

It is the second time Ms Schaaf has been tested for the Hendra virus after colleague Ben Cunneen died in 2008 while looking after an infected horse at Redlands Veterinary Clinic.

She told ABC Radio today she was not worried about her personal safety because she took all the necessary precautions, but she feels for those who have been affected.

But she said what she does want to see is the vaccine for horses made available quickly.

"Humans can't get infected by bats, however if we can vaccinate the horses which amplify the disease this will prevent them infecting people potentially or at least minimise the risk."

She said her understanding was that the vaccine could be available by March next year if the permit process was sped up.

Ms Schaaf said it was also now getting to the point where it was better to play it safe and take precautions any time a horse was treated.

"It's ridiculous when it could be prevented by simple vaccinations. People wouldn't be at a greater risk of dying," she said.

Eight properties in total are now under quarantine, with 42 horses being monitored.

Three of the properties are in the Beaudesert area and contain 28 horses, while the other property is at Mount Alford, near Boonah, and has seven horses.

Since June 20, six horses have died or have been put down after contracting Hendra - five in southern Queensland and one in northern New South Wales.

In Queensland, 17 people who were exposed to the sick horses are waiting to learn if they have contracted the potentially deadly virus.

Nine others linked to a Hendra case in northern NSW are also waiting for test results.

Premier Anna Bligh said today the new cases were worrying.

"The recent spate of diagnosis of Hendra virus are deeply concerning," Ms Bligh told reporters in Brisbane.

"My heart goes out to the people who are waiting for these results."

Source http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/more-properties-under-hendra-quarantine/story-e6frf7jx-1226089099057

Synthetic blood saves a life

The Victorian doctor who saved a woman's life using a transfusion of synthetic blood, says the product can help address the shortage of stock in regional Victoria and also address the imbalance in life expectancy between the city and the country.

Professor Mark Fitzgerald, who was raised in Teddywaddy West, south of Wycheproof in the state's north-west, faced with losing a patient who was unable to accept human blood transfusions due to religious beliefs had to get a blood substitute from the United States.

The director of trauma services at the Alfred hospital said he only knew about the existence of the synthetic blood, which is derived from cow blood, because he'd been involved in trials of the product in the US.

He said it was not a substitute for the real thing, but could go a long way towards addressing blood bank shortages.

"Half the people who die from injury die from blood lost," Professor Fitzgerald said.

"Our blood supplies aren't infinite and sometimes difficult to access and they need to be stored, the need to be refrigerated, they've only got a certain shelf life - essentially whole blood is only good for about a month.

"This product just carries haemoglobin, it doesn't need to be cross-matched, it can be left on the shelf for three years so it can have its advantages - particularly in the areas where you don't have very good or rapid access to blood."

Source http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/05/05/3209041.htm?site=ballarat

Backyard chillies spark chemical emergency

hillies drying in a Melbourne resident's backyard led to a chemical emergency last night.

An ambulance was called to a home in Cranbourne, in Melbourne's south-east, after two men were reported to be coughing and having difficulty breathing.

At one stage, up to 10 people in the area were complaining of feeling dizzy and nauseated.

The area was doorknocked and it emerged someone was drying out strong chillies in their backyard and that was the source of the fumes.

It was a still evening and homes up to 150 metres away were affected by the strong chilli smell.

Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/20/3196697.htm?site=melbourne

Australians unaware of bowel cancer toll

Just one in four Australians is aware that bowel cancer is the nation's second deadliest cancer, according to a new survey.

The lack of awareness reflects alarmingly slow progress in population screening for the disease, Cancer Council Australia said on Wednesday.

A Galaxy survey found only one in four Australians were aware that bowel cancer is the nation's biggest cancer killer after lung cancer.
Advertisement: Story continues below

Cancer Council Australia is calling on the federal government to fully fund a bowel screening program.

"If the national bowel cancer screening program were fully funded and promoted, we would expect public awareness about the impact of bowel cancer to be much higher," chair of Cancer Council Australia's bowel cancer screening committee, Anita Tang, said.

"Yet 14 years after the benefits of screening were confirmed, all we have is a partial program that no longer targets new participants and faces an uncertain future."

The survey found the majority of people thought breast cancer was the biggest killer when, in fact, it is the fourth most deadly, after lung, bowel and prostate cancers.

"Breast cancer advocates have done an excellent job raising breast cancer awareness," Ms Tang said.

"If the Australian government does not announce a plan for the program's implementation in the 2011/12 budget, people affected by bowel cancer will be entitled to ask why they were denied the benefits of population screening."

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/australians-unaware-of-bowel-cancer-toll-20110406-1d33a.html

Australia’s first transplanted hand starts moving

Peter Walsh, 65, a grandfather, with no hands or feet has been wriggling his new fingers after becoming the first Australian recipient of a hand transplant. He underwent a landmark nine-hour operation at St Vincent's Hospital this week after years of painstaking planning by Melbourne specialists.

Mr Walsh, who was a plumber lost both his hands, most of his left leg and part of his right foot four years ago to a bacterial infection which almost killed him. This week the grandfather of 16 from Cobben, in Victoria's west received a donor’s right hand. Surgeons have been cautious in declaring its short-term success - it is very early days - but Mr Walsh was yesterday displaying promising signs with his donated right hand. Prof Wayne Morrison, who led the surgical team said, “Peter was wriggling his fingers today…We actually don't want him to be moving his hand yet, but it's demonstrating everything is connected…Everything is on track.”

The next question is whether Mr Walsh's body accepts the donor hand. Sensation in his fingertips will not be felt for a year, if at all say surgeons. After four to five weeks, he should be able to perform basic movements, working towards making a fist. He will be undergoing physiotherapy now and given a lifetime of anti-rejection medication to prevent his body from rejecting the new hand.

About 60 hand and arm transplants have been performed around the world, with a very high success rate.

The medical director of hand transplant program at UCLA, Dr Sue McDiarmid said, “It is truly amazing to see the function that returns in these transplanted hands over the course of the months and even the years…Our patients do need to put some time in with the rehab, but I have seen patients restored to full use of their hands doing the things that you and I take for granted.”

Source http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110323/Australiae28099s-first-transplanted-hand-starts-moving.aspx

Melanoma rates climb for older men

New figures from the Cancer Council show the incidence of melanoma continues to rise in Victoria, especially in older men.

While the rate of melanoma in younger people are falling, the rate has been consistently rising for men aged over 60.

The Cancer Council's Professor Graham Giles says since 1982 there has been a 400 per cent increase in the incidence of melanoma among mature men.

"People deliberately out and roasted themselves to a nice bronze tan and it's not been till more recent decades that we've been trying to stop people doing that," he said.

He says the research also indicates people who live in rural areas have higher rates of melanoma than their city counterparts.

"If you live in the country, you're probably going to be exposed to sun in a different way to people who live in the city and work in offices," he said.

"It's also likely to be due to the demographic mix of people in the country compared to the town."

Steven Kirby, 53, of Ballarat, was diagnosed with melanoma last year and is urging people who work outdoors to be sun safe.

He has been working outside in farming and the construction industry for the past 30 years and has taken little notice of sunscreen.

"After all these years I think it sort of caught up with me. I have to have check ups every three months now," he said.

Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/09/3159170.htm

Toxic chemicals found in SA bore water

More than 2000 people living in Adelaide's south-west have been warned not to use bore water after tests revealed toxic chemicals.

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) said it had written to more than 2200 residents of suburban South Plympton and Edwardstown.

It said even though there were only 30 registered bores in the area, the EPA was taking the precaution to warn all residents.

The chemicals included fuels and industrial solvents which were widely used in the past to clean metal and as degreasers.

They were found at levels above Australian Drinking Water Guideline values.

The source was believed to be a former industrial site on South Road and was likely the result of historic waste disposal methods.

The EPA said it was conducting further testing to determine the full nature and extent of the contamination.

Chief executive Helen Fulcher said the authority was taking every step to protect the health of the community.

"Contamination investigations of this type are very complex and it may be some time before we know the full extent," she said.

"We will keep the community informed of the results."

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/toxic-chemicals-found-in-sa-bore-water-20110223-1b57j.html

Bats – the carriers of some of world’s deadliest viruses

In a study that brings bats into the limelight for being carriers of some of the world’s deadliest viruses, a team of scientists at CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), in Geelong Victoria, are ascertaining ways by which bats can be stopped from spreading disease to other animals and humans.

Interestingly, according to the study lead Dr Linfa Wang, though bats are carriers of deadly diseases, they themselves do not suffer any ill-effects – thanks to their highly effective immune system that provides them with broad spectrum protection against viral attack.

Specifically, bats – which may appear as rather harmless mammals to most people - have been identified as the main source of viruses that are involved in ‘host-switching’ incidents, including Hendra, Ebola and SARS; but they have apparently developed the ability to tolerate infections with these pathogens which can otherwise be fatal when spread to other mammals.

Clearly, with bats having some type of ‘viral radar’ that prevents them from being infected themselves; the CSIRO is planning a comprehensive research program into bats so as to protect the health of people and livestock.

The program, outlined by Wang at the 1st International One Health Congress in Melbourne, will aim at better understanding bat immunology and also identifying specific strategies to control the viruses that bats spread to other animals and humans.

Source http://topnews.net.nz/reports/211922-bats-carriers-some-world-s-deadliest-viruses

Doctor 'didn't disclose ban to hospital'

A NSW doctor whose severe depression led to "clinical catastrophe" breached a ban by carrying out obstetric procedures, a judge has been told.

When the now former doctor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, successfully applied for a job at a NSW country hospital he did not disclose the ban.

In the NSW District Court today, he pleaded guilty to obtaining a financial advantage by deception.

According to an agreed statement of facts, he was found guilty in 1997 of unsatisfactory professional conduct after complaints by nine former patients.

A NSW Medical Board committee then banned him from practising clinical obstetrics and imposed conditions on him practising gynaecology.

The board concluded that for the benefit of him, his family and his patients, "he should not be exposed to the hazards and stressors involved in the remorselessly inevitable occurrence of complicated obstetric practice".

But years later he obtained a job at a country hospital, saying he had a major depressive illness and conditions had been placed on his medical registration, but failing to reveal the ban.

One of his referees for the job said the doctor "was very well liked but had suffered severe depression and this had led to clinical catastrophe".

Another said the last he had heard of the doctor was that he was not meant to do obstetrics.

"In his new position the offender engaged in the treatment of patients that fell within the field of obstetrics and gynaecology," the facts said.

The doctor told the board of his new job but said he would not be doing obstetrics.

But during his appointment, he did such work including treating 36 pregnant patients and assisting in some caesarean sections.

During his employment his total remuneration was more than $229,000.

When the NSW Medical Board later sought clarification of his job, he stated, "I have no intention of practising obstetrics again", but added that he was fully aware of his responsibilities as a doctor in emergency situations.

On the evening of the day he wrote the letter, he went on to perform a caesarian section, the facts said.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Source http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/doctor-didnt-disclose-ban-to-hospital/story-e6frfku0-1226002295363

Australian’s urged to vaccinate babies and care givers against whopping cough

The number of cases of the deadly whooping cough in the Hume region in Victoria, including Wodonga, last year increased fivefold from those diagnosed in 2008. A total 67 cases were reported in Albury last year but across the Greater Southern region there were more than 1,000 cases. The outbreak reached its peak in September. In the last three years 1,416 West Australians contracted the disease, three of whom died.

Border health authorities are warning parents and grandparents with newborn babies to get a shot. According to them vaccine for the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease is only effective for five to eight years, while immunity for those previously diagnosed with whooping cough has a similar time span. Whooping cough known also as pertussis is an acute infection of the respiratory system, which is transmitted through respiratory droplets when an infected person talks, sneezes or coughs. It is the cause of severe health problems in young babies and children, which may include pneumonia, seizures and in some cases, permanent disability or death.

Director of the public health unit in Albury, Tracey Oakman warned that the region is facing a whooping cough epidemic in the latter part of the year. “Those most at risk are babies who are only fully immunized after their third shot at six months…The issue is that the vaccine is effective for about five to eight years and the immunity for those that have had a bout of whooping cough is about the same duration...So unless parents, grandparents or those involved in the care of that baby have had the adult booster shot they are at risk and can spread the disease,” she said.

Associate Professor Peter Richmond, a child health expert also said that there is a high transfer of the disease in families as parents who have not been immunized and who are unaware of having the infection themselves, pass it onto their young children. “Unfortunately young babies who are too young to be vaccinated, less than two months of age, are the ones who get the most severe disease and occasionally death,” he said.

Oakman added, “Having said that the majority of cases we saw last year were in five to 14-year-olds, generally because they are exposed at school… The vaccine itself is only about 85 per cent effective so that leaves about 15 in every 100 people again at risk.” She explained that whooping cough that usually manifests as a croupy exhaustive cough may sometimes appear different. “It can be quite different in older people and can often be misdiagnosed,” she said.

Wodonga Council environmental health team leader Suzanne Walker pointed out that dads often missed out on the shots. She said, “The mother is reminded of the need for a booster shot after the baby is born but the father, who is not a patient of the hospital, is often overlooked… It is also important children receive booster shots at four and 15.” The Health Minister Kim Hames is also urging parents of young babies to take advantage of the free whooping cough vaccinations adding, “Fifty per cent of the infections come from the adult and an adult doesn’t necessarily know they’ve got the infection because the symptoms aren’t that severe.” He pointed out that although the number of reported infections in WA was lower than in the rest of the country, cases are on the rise.

The free vaccines are available from maternity hospitals and community health immunization centres until the end of June.

Source http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110118/Australiane28099s-urged-to-vaccinate-babies-and-care-givers-against-whopping-cough.aspx

Gastro and mozzies threaten health

Experts say floodwaters which have already killed ten people in Queensland pose ongoing health risks in the form of gastro outbreaks an increased threat of mosquito-borne diseases and mental health problems.

Adelaide University's Peng Bi says the natural disaster means the threat of widespread gastro is now a major concern.

He says floodwaters have destroyed water treatment plants and could lead to the contamination of drinking supplies and is urging people in affected areas to boil their water or only drink bottled water.

Source http://www.skynews.com.au/health/article.aspx?id=563383&vId=

NSW nurses close more than 150 beds

More than 150 beds have now been closed in 15 hospitals across NSW and nurses say the number is set to increase dramatically.

More than 50 beds closed on Tuesday as the NSW Nurses' Association protested against the state government's failure to meet its demands for a one-to-four ratio of nurses to patients.

By Wednesday afternoon, beds had been closed in 15 hospitals including Wollongong, Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) and Springwood.

This took the total number of beds closed to 152.

"We will start to see some real escalation from tomorrow," the union's acting general secretary, Judith Kiejda, told AAP on Wednesday.

Big branches like Westmead, St George, John Hunter, David Berry and Coonamble will decide on Thursday when they're going to start closing beds.

Despite the current action and the threats of more closures, Ms Kiejda said the union hadn't heard back from the government.

"We're still encouraging them to understand that this is a huge issue," she said.

"We believe the claim that we are putting forward for the ratios is the only way to go."

Emergency and intensive-care beds won't be affected, nor will paediatrics, maternity or oncology wards.

The union says a one-to-four nurse-to-patient ratio at most metropolitan hospitals should be included in the new award after the old one expired on June 30 this year.

The union has also put in a claim for a wage increase of five per cent per annum and a one per cent lift in superannuation.

NSW Health Minister Carmel Tebbutt said on Tuesday that the government wanted to continue good-faith discussions with the union but was unable to do so in an environment of industrial action.

Source http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/nsw-nurses-close-more-than-150-beds-20110105-19g0s.html