Some Aussies will now be eligible for free lung cancer screenings
From this week, some Aussies with a history of smoking can access free, lifesaving CT scans to detect lung cancer before symptoms appear. Here's what you need to know to see if you're eligible.
Australia's first new national cancer screening program in almost two decades kicks off this week.
From July 1, Australians with a high risk of developing lung cancer can be screened for the disease free of charge. Lung cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in Australia.
The National Lung Cancer Screening Program (NLCSP) will offer low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans to people aged 50-70 years who smoke or have a history of smoking and who don't have the symptoms or signs of lung cancer.
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7NEWS
6 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Babies dying from syphilis in Australia ‘of national significance'
Syphilis has officially been declared a 'communicable disease incident of national significance'. Chief Medical Officer Professor Michael Kidd made the declaration following record notifications of infectious syphilis and a growing number of preventable congenital syphilis cases resulting in infant deaths. It is a sobering reminder of the health inequities facing rural, remote, and First Nations communities, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) said. The crisis reflects long-standing gaps in access to timely testing, treatment, and antenatal care, despite syphilis being entirely preventable and treatable, ACRRM President Dr Rod Martin said. 'In many rural and remote communities, the local rural generalist is the only doctor available,' Martin said. 'They provide everything from antenatal care to STI screening and treatment, and they must be supported with the workforce, training, and tools to respond effectively.' From January 1 to August 6, Australia has already recorded 3546 cases of infectious syphilis and 11 cases of congenital syphilis, leading to four infant deaths. In 2024, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians had infectious syphilis rates seven times higher than non-Indigenous Australians. Since 2016, more than half of all congenital syphilis cases have occurred in First Nations babies. One in three affected infants have died. In 2023, there were 6566 cases of infectious syphilis and 20 cases of congenital syphilis reported in Australia, resulting in 10 infant deaths. Between 2016 and 2024, 99 cases of congenital syphilis were reported. Of these children, 33 infants died. More than half were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants. 'Every one of those deaths is a tragedy,' Martin said 'We know syphilis often presents without symptoms, but with early testing and treatment, congenital syphilis is entirely preventable.' CRRM continues to work to strengthen culturally safe care and grow a skilled rural generalist workforce, Martin said. To help support rural generalists in delivering high-quality sexual health care, ACRRM has launched a new STI and HIV Care course. The course is designed to give doctors the skills and confidence to conduct evidence-based STI and HIV consultations, assess risk, and manage follow-up care, with content applicable to practice nationwide. 'We're committed to giving rural generalists the tools they need to care for their communities because that's what ultimately saves lives,' Martin said. He urged all Australians who are sexually active, especially those planning for a baby, to get a sexual health check. 'Testing is simple, treatment is effective, and awareness is essential to preventing serious outcomes — including a perinatal death rate of up to 30 per cent.'
The Advertiser
13 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Peter walked out to his bins. He returned with horrible burns
Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue. Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention. Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours. "Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said. What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes. Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries. And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down. La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues". "One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said. Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia. They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy. Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated. It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations. Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated "No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said. And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters. He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity. Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow. "I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said. Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue. Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention. Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours. "Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said. What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes. Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries. And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down. La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues". "One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said. Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia. They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy. Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated. It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations. Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated "No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said. And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters. He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity. Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow. "I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said. Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue. Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention. Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours. "Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said. What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes. Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries. And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down. La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues". "One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said. Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia. They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy. Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated. It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations. Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated "No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said. And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters. He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity. Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow. "I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said. Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue. Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention. Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours. "Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said. What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes. Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries. And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down. La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues". "One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said. Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia. They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy. Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated. It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations. Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated "No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said. And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters. He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity. Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow. "I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said.
7NEWS
13 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Rising energy costs leave Aussies in the cold
Millions of Australians are struggling to afford to warm their homes this winter, according to new research by free comparison website, Finder. The survey found one in eight Australians admit they endure a cold house 'all the time' to avoid a high winter energy bill. Meanwhile, more than 1 in 4 say they try to avoid using their heater 'as often as they can,' despite low temperatures, just to keep a lid on their energy costs. The findings come just a month after Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker revealed 29 per cent of Australians named their energy bill as one of their top three most stressful expenses. Australians reported spending $374 on average on their quarterly energy bill in July 2025 - up 13 per cent from $331 in July 2022. Finder energy expert Mariam Gabaji said millions of households are shivering through winter and sacrificing their comfort and health just to avoid another crushing energy bill. "Energy prices have risen sharply, and it's pushing people into impossible decisions - like choosing between heating and putting food on the table," she said. "Going cold all winter isn't just uncomfortable - it can be dangerous, especially for elderly Australians and young children," she added. Gabaji said that for some households the stress of high energy bills can have a ripple effect with some having to go into debt to keep the lights on. Interestingly, one in five Australians indicated it is not cold enough where they live to have to worry about heating their homes. However, for the rest of us, there are some simple steps you can take to save on your energy costs, by maximising heating efficiency, minimising heat loss and shopping around for a better energy plan. To maximise heating efficiency, spend time adjusting or programming thermostat settings, if you have one. Between 18 and 20 degrees is typically ideal, while programming your heating, so that it automatically adjusts temperatures to suit your requirements, will save you even more. Using ceramic heaters to spot heat smaller rooms, and closing doors to areas you are not using, can also save you money, as well as using electric blankets or hot water bottles overnight. For reducing heat loss, close curtains and blinds before sunset to trap heat inside and open them during sunny days to utilise solar heat. You can also strategically place rugs to help insulate floors and prevent cold air from seeping in and seal gaps around windows and doors.
