Environmental health

Health risks, uncertain greenhouse profile and cost of unconventional gas weigh against proposed future development

Alicia Coram PhD · Jeremy Moss PhD · Grant Blashki MD

A recent Senate Committee report makes for welcome reading for lesbian, gay and bisexual Australians

Jed Horner BA, BHSc(Hons) · Nick J Roberts BSc(Hons)Psych

Those addicted to OTC codeine often do not fit stereotypes of illicit drug users and may present as well groomed professionals

Jennifer L Pilgrim · Olaf H Drummer

Delay in diagnosing an active case of TB led to a cluster of cases in an open-plan commercial office in Victoria

Mohammad Bagherirad MD · Peter Trevan BAppSci, AdvNurs · Maria Globan PhD · Elaine Tay MB BS · Nicola Stephens PhD · Eugene Athan MB BS, FRACP, MPH

How well are our new year's resolutions holding up under the negative influence of returning to work?

Astika Kappagoda

Most people don't know alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen. Is it time to update the public health message?

Jaklin A Eliott PhD, BA(Hons) · Emma R Miller PhD, MPH

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in food could be a cause of chronic disease

John A Edgar BSc(Hons), PhD

Current guidelines disregard sugar content when assessing foods for inclusion in school canteens

Kieron B Rooney

To the Editor: I agree with Baum on the objective evidence of the good health of Australians and that there still is room for improvement in our primary health care system, but I think it is simplistic of her to characterise “fee-for-service general practice” as providing “episodic care”.1 The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners description of “person centred, continuing, comprehensive and coordinated wholeperson health ...

Mark R Nelson

In reply: Australian general practice generally provides good primary medical care. However, while Nelson says a significant amount of activity is disease prevention, the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health study indicates that, in terms of problems at general practitioner–patient encounters, prevention constitutes less than 9.1% of activity and, in terms of reasons for encounters, it constitutes less than 15.9%.1 The general practice model works ...

Fran E Baum

To the Editor: Zimmet draws attention to the looming catastrophe of diabetes.1 However, there is a concomitant health catastrophe — climate change, “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century”.2 We believe that it is not useful to argue whether diabetes or climate change is a greater threat to health. Rather, diabetes and climate change are predictable manifestations of contemporary human ecosystems: The conjoined processes of ...

Rosalie Schultz · Peter Tait

A 35% drop in invasive pneumococcal disease has been found in older people after 6-7 years of vaccine use

Robert I Menzies BAppSc, MPH, PhD · Sanjay H Jayasinghe MB BS, MSc · Vicki L Krause MD, DTM · Clayton K Chiu MB BS, MPH · Peter B McIntyre MB BS, PhD, FRACP

Children at clandestine drug laboratories are at risk of physical injury as well as exposure to methamphetamine and toxic chemicals

Sharon L Hawkrigg · Peter M Winterton

What stops students losing interest in a rural career?

Tyler R Clark BA, MA · Saul B Freedman FCSANZ, FACC, FESC · Amanda J Croft BBus(AgrCom) · Hazel E Dalton BSc(Hons), PhD · Georgina M Luscombe BSc(Hons), PhD · Anthony M Brown MPH, FAFPHM, FAFOEM · David J Tiller MB BS, FRACP · Michael S Frommer MB BS, FAFPHM, FAFOEM

As the World Health Organization regularly reminds us, neither the timing nor the severity of the next influenza pandemic can be predicted. So, when avian influenza A(H5N1) virus emerged and fatal human cases were detected in a number of countries from 2003 onwards, pandemic planning took centrestage. At that time, those tasked with writing and implementing pandemic plans had no easy reference or experience to draw ...

Gina Samaan

Whenever a case of “deathcap” mushroom poisoning occurs, the possibility of ongoing risk of poisoning should be investigated by public health units.

Andrew J Pengilley · Paul M Kelly

Trends over the past three decades show that Australia has done vastly better in preventing cancer death than in primary prevention.

Bruce K Armstrong DPhil, FAFPHM, FAA