Medical Hub

Australia’s National Immunisation Program (NIP) now includes a 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for infants and children aged six weeks and older. The new vaccine, Prevenar 20 (PCV20), was added to the program as of the start of September and replaces the 13-valent PCV13. The decision to update the NIP follows a recommendation from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI.

Not enough is known about the program set to replace the NDIS support currently provided to autistic children to know whether it will meet their needs. That is the standout point that WA health professionals and the South West Autism Network agreed upon when Medical Forum spoke to them about Thriving Kids.

By A/Prof George Sim, Paediatric ENT Surgeon, Murdoch Childhood upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), especially common over the winter months, include colds, croup, bronchiolitis and pneumonia. These infections are often viral in origin and self-limiting with supporting measures like analgesia, adequate fluid rehydration and rest. We reduce the spread of respiratory infections by handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, face masks, limiting contact when sick and vaccinations.

Writing a script is rarely just a five-minute job, it requires established relationships and a knowledge of patient history, writes Dr Ramya Raman. From the outside, a repeat prescription can look like a five-minute administrative task: patient comes in, a few clicks, a signature, job done. Inside the consulting room, it’s something else entirely.

Amid a concerning rise in respiratory disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands people, how can we provide more accessible, culturally safe care to close the gap? By Suzanne Harrison For 30 years Trish Bushby has been working with First Nations people in the health support sector. During that time, she has seen huge change.

By Dr Scott Claxton, Respiratory Physician, Joondalup Respiratory diseases are common and, although they may not seem overtly severe, can still impact the patient’s sleep. This may be as a part of the disease, for example pulmonary fibrosis and nocturnal hypoxaemia; part of a sleep disorder such as COPD and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA); or it may be sleeping disturbance as part of a chronic disease and mood disorders.

The government has hinted that Medicare funded health checks for three-year-olds could be reintroduced, in a move welcomed by GPs. Federal Health Minister Mark Butler raised the topic last week while announcing major reforms to the NDIS which would see children with autism supported through a foundational support program rather than the NDIS. The move has prompted concern that children with developmental concerns, like autism, may not get the appropriate support and services they need.

A new clinical tool has been released to support HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) prescribing. HIV PEP involves taking antiretroviral drugs daily for 28 days to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV following exposure. The Australian-first clinical tool walks clinicians through the steps needed prior to commencing a patient on PEP, from conducting a HIV risk assessment through to when it is and is not recommended.

Western Australia is set to record as many whooping cough cases in the first eight months of this year as it did across the entire year last year. Some 1280 cases of pertussis had been recorded across the state as of August 28. Cases in the metropolitan area are already 50% higher than the 2024 total, with 919 cases recorded so far this year compared to 618 cases in Perth last year.

A Perth GP has been referred to Ahpra over the death of a toddler after morphine was used to sedate the child during a circumcision procedure. Dr Raad Hassan carried out the procedure on two-year-old David Flynn and his younger brother Joseph at his Gosnells clinic in December 2021. The boys were sent home with their mother after the procedure, but David was later found unresponsive and taken to Armadale Kelmscott Memorial Hospital by ambulance, before being pronounced dead that night.