Headlines on health

Carlton have been fined $75,000 over their handling of an incident involving player Elijah Hollands in a game against Collingwood in April. The fine will be paid to the AFL's mental health partner, Headspace. The finding has highlighted the treatment of mental health within sporting circles.

Seven cases of the deadly hantavirus have now been identified in a suspected outbreak on a luxury cruise ship off West Africa. The outbreak has caused global concern, as the disease is considered rare among humans. What is happening with the ship, and what does hantavirus actually entail?

A paediatrician says misinformation about childhood vaccines coming out of the United States has led to a huge spike in vaccine hesitancy in Australia in the past year. Professor Margie Danchin from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute says the latest figures show Australia has the lowest vaccine coverage for children under 5 in more than a decade, with the rates falling each year since 2020. She spoke with Greg Dyett.

The lion's share of attention this week has been on the National Disability Insurance Scheme, with the federal government announcing cuts that it's estimated will see tens of thousands removed from the scheme. But there have also been developments in aged care too- the federal government has now reversed its policy on the funding for showering after a mass of complaints from residents, families, and advocates.

The federal government has announced a major overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme in efforts to cut down fraud and spending in the $50 billion program. Welcoming some aspects of the reform, disability advocates say there must be further clarity around cuts to support and eligibility, with fears that those in need will lose access to vital supports.

The Federal Government has announced free R-S-V vaccinations for older Australians, in a push to better protect those most at risk from the potentially deadly respiratory virus. The $445 million dollar investment means Australians aged 75 and over - and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 60 and over - will be able to access the immunisation for free from mid May, saving them as much as $300 dollars per vaccination.

Coeliac disease affects one in seventy Australians, according to the Wesley Research Institute. But when food is integral to cultural identity, the impacts of this autoimmune disease — especially on multicultural and diasporic communities in Australia — can extend beyond the physical, affecting mental health. Jude Soussan is a young person of Lebanese heritage in Perth, Western Australia, and has used her diagnosis to help educate others about what it means to live with coeliac disease in the diaspora, using creativity. She hopes that, with time, communities can better understand how to accommodate chronic illness.

A new report has found discrimination against trans and gender-diverse people is widespread, with serious impacts on safety and dignity. Released to coincide with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, it makes key recommendations for governmental reform.

The latest report on Closing the Gap Targets, released last month, found just four of nineteen targets are on track. Among those targets Australia is failing to meet, the country is moving backward when it comes to reducing suicide rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which are now more than three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians.First Nations health advocates and practitioners are urgently calling for investment in new approaches to preventative mental health support that are led by First Nations wisdom and experience. SBS reporter Angelica Waite, has speaking with Clinton Schultz, a Gomeroi Gamilaroi man, and Director of First Nations Strategy and Partnerships with Black Dog Institute. For more than a decade, he's been a pioneering voice when it comes to finding new models for preventative care that reflect the depth, complexity and connectedness of First Nations ways of knowing, being and doing. She started by asking Mr Schultz how he came to study and work in the field of psychology.

Once confined to bodybuilding forums and elite sports scandals, unapproved peptides have now moved into mainstream wellness and are being marketed online as tools for bio-hacking and longevity. So why are people turning to online communities and influencers for advice, and is there a breakdown in trust for traditional medical pathways?