Headlines on health

A framework has been developed to track and improve the treatment options for dementia patients in aged care. The proposal come after the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare named dementia as the leading cause of death in Australia.

After years of trying to conceive, Isabel Lewis thought the hard part was over — until cybercriminals targeted her fertility clinic. The data breach at Genea Fertility included patient's medical histories, diagnoses and treatments, medications and prescriptions, as well as pathology and diagnostic test results. Now, hundreds of Australians have shown interest in a class action lawsuit over the breach, which could be the first test of new reforms to Australia's Privacy Act.

Using your phone while on the toilet could be linked to an increased chance of haemorrhoids, according to a study from the United States. So if you're a loo scroller, the extra time spent on the toilet could be doing you more harm than good.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has produced a snap shot of Women’s health across the life course. While rates of cancer have gone down for women over the last 25 years, younger women continue to experience higher rates of depression and other mental health conditions.

Despite being a proven life-saving treatment, 1 in 5 Australians who need radiotherapy never receive it. This year, on September 7, the first-ever World Radiotherapy Awareness Day will be launched, and experts say it's an opportunity to dispel fears of the treatment.

20,000 more home care packages are to be available to vulnerable older Australians after the federal government was forced to make a deal with the Coalition. It was the first major test faced by Labor since it was re-elected, which was cornered in the senate to make changes to its aged care reform policy.

The number of Australians living with allergy has doubled in nearly 20 years, according to a new report, which examines the financial and personal costs of the chronic condition. Demand for services is unprecedented, and experts warn allergy does not just impact health - it can reshape sufferers’ lives.

The number of children being diagnosed with autism is rising, putting a heavy strain on the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The government has responded, announcing a plan to divert children away from the NDIS to a new scheme called Thriving Kids. Parents and autism advocates say they were unaware of the strategy until it was made public.

Public health experts have raised concerns about the beliefs and behaviours of individuals of reproductive age on social media. In a recent study, La Trobe University researchers looked into the rise of contraceptive misinformation on TikTok.

A chikungunya outbreak in China has infected more than 7,000 people. Chikungunya causes fever and joint pain, but in some cases can be fatal. There is no vaccine or real treatment. Epidemiologist Jason Rasgon, from Penn State University, explains how the disease is transmitted, and why it seems to be spreading to new areas. The chikungunya virus is not currently endemic in Australia. There have been no locally acquired cases, though mosquitoes capable of spreading the virus are present in some areas of Queensland, and travellers can become infected with the chikungunya virus if travelling to a region of the world where chikungunya is found.