Category: News

Victorian Government Orders Record Flu Vaccinations

Posted on | by Team

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The 2019 flu season has already recorded triple the amount of diagnosed cases than compared with the same time last year. With many fearing another 2017 season that saw more than 48,000 Victorians diagnosed with influenza.

Free vaccinations will be available to anyone in these categories under the National Immunisation Program:

  • Pregnant women
  • Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people
  • Anyone with a chronic condition
  • Under the age of 5 or over the age of 65

With Victoria’s Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos urging, “You never forget the flu, so don’t forget your flu shot. Coming down with the flu is not like catching a cold. It hits you quickly and hard, and it can last for weeks. And for some people, it can be deadly.”

Flu symptoms can include a sudden high fever, headache, body aches and feeling extremely weak or tired. For children, the elderly or people with a weakened immune system, the flu can have devastating outcomes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

New Device Created to Help Assist in the Severity of Parkinson’s

Posted on | by Team

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Attached to the patient’s hand in what resembles a bionic hand, the device utilises a tiny motor to bend the patient’s middle finger repetitively over a period of 30 seconds. With the objective to measure any muscle stiffness, this is then recorded and can be sent to the patients GP.

A stiff the finger can indicate the more advanced the disease, as muscle stiffness is considered one of the first early warning signs of Parkinson’s.

Dr Thushara Perera, Research Fellow at the Bionics Institute and inventor of the BiRD, said the device not only offers a simple diagnosis in an otherwise complicated condition, but may also one day help monitor patients where they need it most—in their own homes.

“In the future, patients may be able to use the BiRD at home to monitor their own health and provide a report to their doctor, just like a blood glucose monitor for diabetics. This will help their doctor decide how to give the best treatment to their patients, including which medications to administer.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]