Health
A recent measles outbreak in South Australia has sparked concern among health authorities, with nine confirmed cases reported this year. The resurgence of once-common childhood diseases such as measles and diphtheria is attributed to declining vaccination rates and the spread of anti-vaccination misinformation.
A patient with pneumonia waited over nine hours in an ambulance outside Lyell McEwin Hospital on a day the doctors' union described as a "flashpoint" demand for the emergency department. The union warned that staff were feeling "helpless" due to overwhelming demand, with 130 patients waiting for treatment or a bed.
A major South Australian hospital has been listed as an exposure site after a confirmed case of measles spent over 24 hours in its emergency department. The case is linked to a growing cluster of cases at Brighton Secondary School, bringing the total number of cases in the state to nine.
Patients at Lyell McEwin Hospital's emergency department have faced waits of over 13 hours, with some treated in makeshift areas. The SA doctors' union has reported that the department has been operating at crisis levels for months.
A temporary vaccination service has been set up for the community of a southern Adelaide school after four students tested positive for measles. The service is one of the measures being taken to contain the outbreak, which has prompted concerns about the spread of the highly contagious disease.
Four sea lions have tested positive for H5 bird flu at a key breeding ground off Kangaroo Island, sparking concerns about the impact on the endangered species. The discovery comes as a separate vaccine trial targeting mammals is being discussed with the federal government.
Emergency helicopters remain grounded at the regional hospitals in Victor Harbor and Murray Bridge due to safety concerns. The issue is complex and requires a long-term solution, according to the Health Minister.
One SA Health employee has been reprimanded for accessing AFL legend Tony Modra's private medical records after he was seriously injured in a truck crash, while two other employees remain under investigation. The health department says six other individuals are no longer being investigated.
A patient has died after being forgotten in a backlog of paper referrals at a Victorian hospital, the state's shadow health minister has revealed. Up to 150 patients at Mildura Base Public Hospital were left waiting for care for longer than a year.
The South Australian government spent over $123 million last financial year caring for patients stranded in hospitals waiting for aged care beds. The state's health minister has called on his federal counterpart to do more to fix the "crisis".
A Sydney development worth hundreds of millions of dollars has been pitched as the site for Australia's first proton therapy unit, a highly specialised cancer treatment machine. But with construction imminent, the project remains uncertain due to a lack of funding and unclear involvement from key organisations.
A 60-year-old man with a broken hip waited for hours at a Royal Flying Doctors Service facility and outside a hospital before being admitted for a major operation. He experienced significant pain and discomfort during the wait, despite being told he could not receive pain relief due to concerns about medication interactions.
An Adelaide woman facing terminal lung cancer is calling on the federal government to amend the Commonwealth Criminal Code to allow telehealth for voluntary assisted dying. She warns that current geographic restrictions are cruelly denying isolated patients access to end-of-life care.
More than 20 priority emergency patients were left stranded in South Australia as 56 ambulances were gridlocked outside Adelaide hospitals, prompting urgent calls to extend the state's healthcare emergency declaration.
Thousands of Australians infected with hepatitis C and HIV from tainted blood products in the 1980s continue to face severe health struggles. Survivors are calling for a national reckoning as newly uncovered documents raise serious questions about past decisions.
South Australian health experts are warning of a delayed flu peak after an unusually quiet winter. Doctors are urging residents to get vaccinated late in the season while calling for expanded access to free RSV vaccines.
A severe shortage of specialist stoma nurses in South Australia's South East is forcing vulnerable regional patients to travel to Adelaide for essential medical care. Local advocates and politicians are calling for urgent systemic reforms to address the critical gap in regional healthcare.
South Australia has emerged as the unexpected epicentre of the highly infectious H5 bird flu strain in Australia, raising alarm bells for native wildlife. As biosecurity measures tighten, environmental scientists warn the virus could soon travel inland via local waterways.
The privacy investigation surrounding Adelaide Crows legend Tony Modra's medical records has widened, with SA Health confirming a ninth staff member is now under investigation. The AFL icon was hospitalized in June following a serious truck crash on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
Authorities have confirmed the nation's first mass wildlife mortality event linked to the deadly H5 bird flu after scores of seabirds died off the South Australian coast. Biosecurity officials are bracing for further spread across native species as migratory seasons approach.
The state's nursing union has called for an urgent safety investigation into the routine placement of patients in hospital corridors during high-demand periods. While health officials defend the strategy as a coronial recommendation to ease ambulance ramping, opposition leaders and patient advocate groups are demanding an immediate end to the practice.
Wildlife experts and community members are sounding the alarm after dozens of dead and sick birds were discovered off South Australia's coast, marking a worrying shift in the spread of H5 bird flu. Authorities confirm that local transmission among native species is now underway as national case numbers rise.
Researchers have developed a laser-based technique capable of identifying toxic methanol through sealed glass bottles. This breakthrough could prevent fatal poisoning incidents and help secure global supply chains.