Latest news with #MaterHospital
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Health expert furious as Aussies avoid getting the Covid-19 vaccine: 'We have dropped the ball'
Australians have been warned that falling Covid vaccinations rates could pose a risk as a new highly contagious strain of the virus emerges. The variant known as NB.1.8.1 - first recorded on January 21 - is responsible for a sharp rise in cases in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and is now the dominant strain in WA, responsible for a 24 per cent jump in case numbers. Professor Paul Griffin, from Mater Hospital in Brisbane, said the Covid vaccination rate is the lowest it has been since they were introduced five years ago. 'We have dropped the ball with Covid-19 vaccinations, but this disease is still very prevalent in the community and poses a serious threat to high-risk patients,' said Prof. Griffin, who is director of infectious diseases at the hospital. 'It should now be a once-a-year booster, just like the flu vaccine is, and with winter here next week, now is the time to get vaccinated and it's safe to get them both together. 'There are hundreds of different strains of Omicron, and the new subvariant NB.1.8.1 is driving up infections and hospitalisations, particularly in Asia and Western Australia. 'The best way to protect yourself and your family, is to get the newest booster which provides very good coverage, is safe, and will reduce the severity of your symptoms.' Fewer than 250,000 Queenslanders have received a yearly booster despite it, along with the flu vaccine, being free. He said there has also been a sharp rise in flu cases in Queensland with more than 2,000 people already hospitalised this year. This is a 30 per cent increase on the same period last year and could pose a threat of overloading the hospital system if Covid cases also spiked. He said cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) were also high with 1,500 people hospitalised making it a 'triple threat'. 'More than half of these hospitalisations have been for the most vulnerable in our community, babies less than six months and people over 65,' Prof Griffin said. RSV vaccinations are free for pregnant women, with immunity then passed onto babies up until they are six months old. Experts have warned that childhood vaccination rates across the board - not just for Covid - have been steadily dropping since the Covid pandemic. 'Since 2020, the share of children who are fully vaccinated has fallen every year. For every child vaccine on the National Immunisation Schedule, protection was lower in 2024 than in 2020,' Professor Peter Beadon of the Grattan Institute said. 'Globally, in 2023, measles cases rose by 20 per cent.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Garda seriously injured after being struck by motorbike in Finglas
A garda has been taken to hospital after he was struck by a motorbike during a road traffic incident in Finglas, north Dublin. At around 5.45pm on Wednesday, while on a routine patrol, gardaí attached to the Finglas Drugs Unit observed two motorbikes – which were believed to have been stolen – at a petrol station on North Road. When gardaí approached them, the motorcyclists drove off and in the course of doing so struck a member of An Garda Síochána. The Garda, a man in his 30s, was taken to the city's Mater University Hospital for treatment of a serious but non-life-threatening injury. READ MORE A man aged in his 20s has since been arrested and was being detained at a Garda station in west Dublin. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this incident to come forward. Anyone who may have camera footage, including dashcam footage, from the North Road area of Finglas between 5.15pm and 6.15pm on Wednesday is asked to make this available to gardaí. In a separate incident on May 11th, Garda Kevin Flatley (49) died after being struck by a motorcyclist while carrying out a checkpoint near Lanestown, north Co Dublin. The motorcyclist involved in this incident, a man aged in his 30s, was treated in Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, for serious injuries.
BreakingNews.ie
6 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Garda left with serious leg injuries after getting knocked down by stolen motorbike
A garda has suffered serious leg injuries after he was knocked down by a stolen motorbike in Dublin. The incident happened in the Finglas area at about 5.45pm on Wednesday. Advertisement The garda, who is in his 30s, was struck by the vehicle as it drove off from a petrol station on the North Road. He was taken to the Mater Hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. A man in his 20s has been arrested and is currently detained at a Garda station in West Dublin. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to the incident to come forward. Anyone with any information can contact Finglas Garda Station on 01 666 7500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Queensland hit by surge in whooping cough cases as experts blame low vaccination levels
Thousands of whooping cough cases have emerged in one Australian state, as experts lay the blame on low immunisation and poor personal hygiene. Queensland has recorded 2,384 cases of whooping cough since the beginning of the year, nearly three-and-a-half times the 2023-24 average, according to Queensland Health. Concern is rising that this year could be part of a larger upwards trend, as in 2024 Queensland also recorded 15,012 infections, a sum larger than the previous 11 years combined. Mater Hospital Brisbane director of infectious diseases Professor Paul Griffin said the numbers show a disturbing trend. 'It's very clear that the numbers are high, and so seeing nearly 2,400 cases already this year, it is a very significant number and that's tracking along at … about six and a half times what we'd normally see this time of year.' Professor Griffin told NewsWire. 'The case numbers are very high and unfortunately with a disease like whooping cough, when there's high numbers of cases, that means we will see some of those progress to more significant disease.' Whooping cough can be a very significant disease and can lead to pneumonia, brain damage and sometimes death according to the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 'People do need to pay attention to these numbers and make sure they understand that whooping cough isn't (usually) around in high numbers,' Professor Griffin said. 'It is a very significant disease. Not everyone is going to get really sick, but unfortunately enough people will.' Whooping cough can be detrimental to vulnerable communities, such as young children and pregnant women. 'If people haven't seen, a baby who's got more severe disease, the fact that they cough or they vomit and they cough so much they can't eat or drink, it's just terrifying to see,' Professor Griffin said. 'This is what does happen from whooping cough and why we need mums to get vaccinated in pregnancy and children particularly to get vaccinated as scheduled.' Since Covid-19, Aussie vaccination rates have steadily declined, as well as personal habits which prevent disease such as frequently washing hands, using masks, and staying out of crowded areas. 'Unquestionably … the reduction in vaccination rates will be a factor, as will the fact that I think … people are probably doing the least to address the transmission of respiratory infections that we've done for five years or more,' Professor Griffin reflected. 'For a while we were very good that if someone had respiratory symptoms, we would get them to stay home. We wouldn't take them to school or go to work. We'd get them tested and do all the right things to address transmission. 'But I think we're probably doing a lot less of that at the moment.' Concerningly, vaccination rates among infants have also dropped – 90.8 per cent of one-year-olds received their whooping cough jab in 2023, nearly 4 per cent less than at the end of 2018, Queensland Health data shows. The whooping cough vaccine is free during pregnancy, children aged 18 months, two, four, and six, and young adults between 12 and 19. For those who have a vague memory of getting the jab, a booster vaccination is recommended every ten years. 'The whooping cough itself is very significant. But if we add to that the record-breaking start to the flu season and high numbers of RSV and still some Covid around, that's a lot of respiratory infections for us to have to deal with, even ahead of the expected peak in winter,' Professor Griffin said. 'So if we don't do some more to slow that down, we could be in for a very significant winter period with a burden of disease on our healthcare system that's going to be difficult to manage.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
State hit by record outbreak of deadly virus
Thousands of whooping cough cases have emerged in one Australian state, as experts lay the blame on low immunisation and poor personal hygiene. Queensland has recorded 2,384 cases of whooping cough since the beginning of the year, nearly three-and-a-half times the 2023-24 average, according to Queensland Health. Concern is rising that this year could be part of a larger upwards trend, as in 2024 Queensland also recorded 15,012 infections, a sum larger than the previous 11 years combined. Mater Hospital Brisbane director of infectious diseases Professor Paul Griffin said the numbers show a disturbing trend. 'It's very clear that the numbers are high, and so seeing nearly 2,400 cases already this year, it is a very significant number and that's tracking along at … about six and a half times what we'd normally see this time of year.' Professor Griffin told NewsWire. 'The case numbers are very high and unfortunately with a disease like whooping cough, when there's high numbers of cases, that means we will see some of those progress to more significant disease.' Whooping cough can be a very significant disease and can lead to pneumonia, brain damage and sometimes death according to the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. 'People do need to pay attention to these numbers and make sure they understand that whooping cough isn't (usually) around in high numbers,' Professor Griffin said. 'It is a very significant disease. Not everyone is going to get really sick, but unfortunately enough people will.' Whooping cough can be detrimental to vulnerable communities, such as young children and pregnant women. 'If people haven't seen, a baby who's got more severe disease, the fact that they cough or they vomit and they cough so much they can't eat or drink, it's just terrifying to see,' Professor Griffin said. 'This is what does happen from whooping cough and why we need mums to get vaccinated in pregnancy and children particularly to get vaccinated as scheduled.' Since Covid-19, Aussie vaccination rates have steadily declined, as well as personal habits which prevent disease such as frequently washing hands, using masks, and staying out of crowded areas. 'Unquestionably … the reduction in vaccination rates will be a factor, as will the fact that I think … people are probably doing the least to address the transmission of respiratory infections that we've done for five years or more,' Professor Griffin reflected. 'For a while we were very good that if someone had respiratory symptoms, we would get them to stay home. We wouldn't take them to school or go to work. We'd get them tested and do all the right things to address transmission. 'But I think we're probably doing a lot less of that at the moment.' Concerningly, vaccination rates among infants have also dropped – 90.8 per cent of one-year-olds received their whooping cough jab in 2023, nearly 4 per cent less than at the end of 2018, Queensland Health data shows. The whooping cough vaccine is free during pregnancy, children aged 18 months, two, four, and six, and young adults between 12 and 19. For those who have a vague memory of getting the jab, a booster vaccination is recommended every ten years. 'The whooping cough itself is very significant. But if we add to that the record-breaking start to the flu season and high numbers of RSV and still some Covid around, that's a lot of respiratory infections for us to have to deal with, even ahead of the expected peak in winter,' Professor Griffin said. 'So if we don't do some more to slow that down, we could be in for a very significant winter period with a burden of disease on our healthcare system that's going to be difficult to manage.'
