Headlines on health

For families relying on transfusions, donated blood can mean the difference between life and death. For others, the decision to donate is shaped by culture, experience and how well they understand the system. Lifeblood is urging more Australians to donate blood, warning the need is constant and cannot be met without regular donors. But as Australia's population becomes more diverse, experts say the country's blood supply also needs to reflect that change, with some patients needing blood that is more closely matched to their background.

New South Wales’ only medically supervised injecting centre is calling for urgent legal reform to allow more sites to open across the state. It has been 25 years since the centre opened in Sydney’s Kings Cross, becoming the first supervised injecting facility in the Southern Hemisphere. Staff have since supervised more than 1.3 million injections, managed more than 12-thousand overdoses without a single death, and made more than 25-thousand referrals for treatment and care. For more, SBS spoke with the centre's Medical Director Dr Marianne Jauncey.

New South Wales’ only medically supervised injecting centre is calling for urgent legal reform to allow more sites to open across the state.


It has been 25 years since the centre opened in Sydney’s Kings Cross, becoming the first supervised injecting facility in the Southern Hemisphere.

Staff have since supervised more than 1.3 million injections, managed more than 12-thousand overdoses without a single death, and made more than 25-thousand referrals for treatment and care.

For more, SBS spoke with the centre's Medical Director Dr Marianne Jauncey.

Cases of Ebola continue to rise in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the number of suspected cases approaching 1,000, and suspected deaths at more than 200. Aid groups are warning they need more funding to tackle the disease, and health workers and volunteers are working to educate people and quash misinformation.

Every May, Lupus Awareness Month is recognised around the world, to highlight the chronic autoimmune disease which is still widely misunderstood. Lupus affects over five million people globally, and many of those affected are women. Jenny Lai is a mental health advocate whose Lupus diagnosis was a catalyst in her mental health journey. She has spoken to SBS' Alyssa Chandler.

There are fears as the government seeks to achieve its budget savings with cutbacks to NDIS access, those who need support won't receive it. A new survey has found not all those with multiple sclerosis have access to the scheme - and for those who do, they face constant misunderstandings about their condition.

The World Health Organisation has sent a team of experts and supplies to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help combat the spread of Ebola. On Sunday, it declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern because of the high risk the disease could spread further beyond DR Congo's borders after two cases were confirmed in Kampala, the capital of neighbouring Uganda. Among the agencies assisting in the efforts is Medicins San Frontiers, also known as Doctors Without Borders. Simon Eccleshall is the Head of Programs for MSF in Australia, and he spoke with SBS World News reporter Alexandra Jones about the group's response.

Health workers are racing to contain the Bundibugyo strain of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. The World Health Organisation says the Ebola outbreak spreading through the eastern D-R-C into neighbouring Uganda could be far larger than officially reported. In cities like Goma and Bunia, families are still trying to continue daily life amid growing fears the outbreak is spreading beyond control.

Australia's worst diphtheria outbreak in decades has spread across Northern Territory into Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia, with more than 230 [[as of May 21]] cases of the disease reported so far this year. Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and health workers are welcoming a $7 million federal government funding package aimed at supporting the response to the outbreak. But, experts say the re-emergence of the disease exposes serious gaps in the public health system.

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The cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak has left Cape Verde and is headed for the Canary Islands, where passengers are expected to depart the vessel and begin heading home. Three people have died in the outbreak with eight recorded cases so far. But the World Health Organisation is moving to reassure people hantavirus is not the new COVID-19.