Cooling towers disinfected over legionnaires’ outbreak
A single cooling tower is thought to be the cause of an outbreak of legionnaires' disease that is expected to grow in coming days.
Health
Race to find source of legionnaires’ disease outbreak
The source of an outbreak of a severe form of pneumonia is yet to be confirmed but it is thought to be a cooling tower due to the high number of cases.
Aussie babies get peanut allergy therapy in world-first
Babies with peanut allergies in Australia will be offered a treatment program under a world-first model aiming to transform allergy care.
Farmers roundly welcome weedkiller court decision
Farming groups have welcomed a Federal Court ruling that popular herbicide Roundup cannot be proven to cause cancer as lawyers ponder a possible appeal.
‘Grinding halt’: shortage could cause hospital chaos
Australia's health system could come to a "grinding halt" within days if a shortage of intravenous fluid isn't addressed, a leading doctor has warned.
Millions of Australians hit by prescription cyber hack
One of Australia's largest cyber hacks resulted in the theft of personal details and health information belonging to almost 13 million people.
Enhanced Games to sign Olympians post-Paris: D’Souza
Australians could be among athletes signing up for the pro-drug Enhanced Games after the Paris Olympics.
animal diseases
conservation
endangered species
environmental issue
environmental politics
invasive species
wildlife
Govt lagging on bird flu threat to wildlife: experts
Australia's environment ministers have been accused of being missing in action and doing little to get ready for bird flu impacts on native wildlife.
Australia isn’t ready for ravages of bird flu: warning
Australia's environment ministers are accused of being missing in action and doing little to get ready for the impacts of bird flu on native wildlife.
Lovers warned ‘common’ bedroom trend could be deadly
Fear of being labelled "vanilla" in the bedroom and ignorance of the danger are leading young people to consent to an intimate act posing genuine risk of harm.
Doctor admits oversights before toddler’s sepsis death
Reflecting on a two-year-old toddler thought to have died of sepsis in regional NSW, an emotional doctor has said more could have been done before the tragedy.
Antibiotics may not have saved toddler: doctor
A pediatrician says he believed a two-year-old girl was "getting better" before her death and a late course of antibiotics may not have saved her life.
Family sues after police tasering leads to man’s death
The mother of a mentally ill man who died after being tasered, pepper sprayed and handcuffed by the cops has sued over alleged police and healthcare failings.
GPs urge jabs as winter lurgies return with a vengeance
A spike in illness ranging from flu and whooping cough to gastro concerns doctors and health authorities who urge more people to get vaccinated.
World-first laws curtailing vape sales pass parliament
Vapes will only be able to be sold over the counter at pharmacies under world-leading reforms passed by federal parliament.
Tourism bouncing back with record visitor spending
International visitors are spending the most since 2019 as the tourism industry inches closer to recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vape ban contested as smokescreen rises over costs
Access to vapes will be made harder under new laws but the banning of e-cigarettes is being criticised as counterintuitive for promoting a black market.
Pharmacy lobby blasts plan for chemists to sell vapes
The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has slammed a new plan that would allow smokers to buy vapes at pharmacies without the need for a doctor's prescription.
Bulk-billing hope with GP deal to end tax stand-off
Fears of shuttered GP clinics or more patients being slugged with gap payments have been allayed, but there's concern over the overall NSW health budget.
Families told missing loved ones had ‘gone walkabout’
Many Indigenous women and children are not taken seriously or criminalised when they go missing and fall victim to crime, stoking mistrust in police.
Three more years for first illicit pill-testing service
Canberra's pill-testing service will remain open for at least the next three years, with the ACT government extending its funding.
Funding plea as health system faces ‘national crisis’
Patients are copping the brunt of a deteriorating health system as state and territory health ministers call on the federal government to help fix the "crisis".
Fifth case of leprosy reported this year
A case of leprosy has been detected in the Northern Territory for the first time in three years.
Hysterectomies fall as options for heavy periods grow
Women opting for less-invasive treatments to manage heavy periods could be a reason for falling hysterectomy rates.
Fears people will crack as Coles imposes egg limits
A growing bird flu outbreak is yet to hit farmed chicken meat but shoppers have been urged to avoid panic-buying after a supermarket introduced egg sale limits.
Thousands of hens to be culled as flu hits fifth farm
A Victorian egg producer will destroy tens of thousands of hens after avian influenza was detected at a second farm, bringing the number impacted to five.
Alcohol restrictions proposed to tackle family violence
There's a push to overhaul alcohol laws as part of national efforts to tackle family violence, including restricting alcohol delivery.
Bird flu cull leads to 450,000 fewer eggs per day
It could take years for farms impacted by an avian influenza outbreak to recover after the deaths of half a million chickens.
US introduces ‘understandable’ poultry restrictions
The Victorian poultry meat industry is unlikely to be badly affected by US import curbs prompted by a bird flu outbreak, according to a peak body.
Bird flu outbreak sparks mass cull of farmed chickens
Thousands of birds at an egg farm will be culled after a bird flu outbreak as authorities reveal a child is Australia's first case of a deadly global strain.
Lawyers take chunk of breast surgery payout
Lawyers will receive the lion's share of a $25 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over alleged complications from breast augmentation surgeries.