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ABC News
19-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
‘Script hounds' leading to cannabis over-subscription
Medicinal Cannabis has been a booming market in both Australia and around the world. Its legalisation has paved the way for many to access the drug legally, often to treat conditions like chronic pain and anxiety. But New data from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency -- also known as AHPRA -- has revealed eight medical practitioners appeared to have issued more than 10 thousand cannabis scripts each for the highest-THC-strength products over a six-month period. The regulator is now raising concerns some practitioners are putting "profit over safety". Speaking with ABC NewsRadio's Rachel Hayter, Associate Professor Michael Clements from the Royal Australian College of GPs says profit-seeking is to blame.
ABC News
16-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Why childhood vaccination is dropping and what we can do about it
An alarming decline in childhood vaccination rates is a "wake-up call" for all levels of Australian government and the health sector, according to the peak body for doctors. President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Dr Danielle McMullen, said new figures released this week show we urgently "need to do more" to address the issue. "Perhaps as a country we've become complacent in trusting our really excellent vaccination rates," Dr McMullen said. Tasmanian GP Tim Jones said he was talking to hesitant patients about vaccination every day. "I'm having four to five conversations a day with families about vaccinations particularly as it applies to their children." He said some were skeptical about both the safety of vaccinations and whether the diseases they protect against are, in fact, dangerous, while others felt apathetic and burnt out in the wake of the pandemic. "They're fearful, they're worried about harm, they don't want to hurt the people they love." Dr Jones has been a GP for almost ten years and said vaccine hesitancy was much higher now than it was when he first started working as a doctor. Dr Jones is also the chair of child and young person's health at the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. He said it's really important to listen to people's fear and hesitancy about vaccines, so they feel safe. "As a GP working in 2025, I did not think I would be seeing kids in the developed world die of measles and yet this is the situation we're now facing" Dr Jones said fear and hesitancy were the main issues he's seeing in Hobart, but there are also significant economic and cultural barriers with some people struggling to access affordable, convenient care. New data from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) shows a widespread decline in childhood vaccinations for a range of diseases over the past five years. The proportion of children who are up-to-date with their immunisations by the age of 12 months fell from 94.8 per cent in 2020 to 91.6 per cent last year. The percentage of those fully vaccinated by age two was down from 92.1 per cent to 89.4 per cent in the same time frame. For highly contagious diseases like measles, approximately 95 per cent vaccination coverage is needed to maintain herd immunity. Source: Department of Health Dr McMullen from the AMA said a review of Australia's public health vaccination campaigns was needed to "refocus" the messaging and target misinformation. "Most people are getting the message that vaccinations are a really critical part of our health system. "Just blasting them with more and more information may not change the dial. "What we've really got to do is be targeted and work out for people who aren't being vaccinated, what are the barriers they're facing and how do we address those?" There are practical and ideological reasons why some parents aren't vaccinating their children, either fully or partially. In practical terms, cost and access to care can be barriers. Although childhood immunisations are free, sometimes GPs will charge for the appointment, especially in regional or remote areas. And even if the appointment is free, there may be the cost of taking time off work or transport to the doctor. Even getting an appointment can be a battle too. "Childhood vaccinations are due every few weeks so sometimes a GP is really busy and you can't get an appointment every six weeks when it's due," said Jessica Kaufman, a lead researcher on the Vaccine Uptake Group at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. "Then before you know it you've fallen behind." The other reasons for reluctance are linked to emotions and social influence. Dr Kaufman is part of the National Vaccination Insights Project which surveyed 2,000 parents about childhood vaccination last year. About 50 per cent of parents with unvaccinated children said they didn't believe vaccines were safe and around 40 per cent didn't think vaccines were effective at preventing disease. But the most common barrier for all surveyed parents (including those who did vaccinate their children) was "feeling distressed when thinking about vaccinating their child". "A lot of parents worry about seeing their kids in pain, or worry they are making the right decision or may just have a needle phobia themselves," Dr Kaufman said. This data was collected last April so Dr Kaufman said it does not reflect the rise in vaccine misinformation that we've seen since the Trump administration was re-elected in the US. US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy is a well-known vaccine skeptic who has revived the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism and promoted treatments for measles that have no grounding in scientific evidence, such as vitamin A. "What's happening in the US means things that used to be fringe beliefs are becoming mainstream and anecdotally I'm hearing from nurses that people are coming into clinic with questions about things like vitamin A supplementation," Dr Kaufman said. Dr Kaufman said employing more practice nurses who can give vaccines at GP clinics, establishing walk-in vaccine clinics and allowing pharmacists to give childhood immunisations could all help reverse the trend. Creating a positive and supportive environment at the clinics where the vaccinations are administered is also crucial to ease distress. "Distraction techniques can help or allowing the mother to breastfeed while the baby gets vaccinated," Dr Kaufman said. "Another idea would be to have a Medicare item that incentivises vaccination conversations so there's time to have good conversations that can be bulk billed." Julie Leask is a social scientist who is involved in the National Vaccination Insights Project, specifically looking at influenza vaccination uptake. She said the simple act of sending reminders needed to be revitalised. "Reminders work but they are quite ad hoc right now and it's up to the GP practice. I'm not aware of any jurisdictions using reminders systematically." Getting through to parents who don't believe vaccines are safe or effective is a lot more challenging but fear campaigns are not effective, Dr Kaufman said. "Research has shown this can overwhelm people as they might already be scared of the vaccine and potential side effects and then they are shown scary images of people with the disease … this can put them into a kind of analysis paralysis so they do nothing." She said the most effective way to get through to people with doubts is through community outreach, which was used a lot at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This involves people who are already trusted by a community getting trained in how to have conversations about vaccination within their cultural, religious, political or social network. "This is a lot more useful than something like the 'arm yourself' campaign we saw during COVID." Health Minister Mark Butler said the decline in childhood vaccination was "alarming" and the government was currently finalising its National Immunisation Strategy for 2025 to 2030 which will outline how to improve uptake.
ABC News
12-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Measles cases across the country reach highest levels in six years
Measles cases have reached the highest number of infections nationwide in six years. The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System shows 71 measles cases have been reported across the country this year so far. This already exceeds the total for 2024 and is the highest number recorded since 2019, when there were 284 cases. This year, 14 cases were reported in people aged 25-29 years old, and children aged 0-4 years old had the second highest number of infections recorded. In 2025, Victoria had recorded 26 infections, New South Wales 21, and Western Australia 18. Health officials have issued a nationwide call to prevent the spread. In April, medical professionals urged travellers to stay vigilant amid a global rise in cases in the United States and other parts of the world. Ramya Raman, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners vice-president and Western Australia chair, told the ABC the rise in cases could be because people were travelling overseas more frequently. The vaccination rate could also be a contributing factor, Dr Raman said. "We are below the 95 per cent vaccination rate that we need for herd immunity, so overseas arrivals and local infection spreading and the infectiousness of the actual condition is probably all contributing to that," she said. The measles virus has not been widely circulating in Australia for some time, largely due to many people already receiving double dose vaccinations, reducing the chances of catching the virus. Studies suggest that one bout of measles usually results in lifelong immunity Two doses of the MMR (Mumps, Measles, and Rubella) vaccine was introduced to the national childhood immunisation schedule in the early 90s. But Australians born before then might have received only one dose and be "partially vaccinated", Dr Raman said. "If you were born after 1965 and haven't already had two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, you can get up to two free MMR vaccinations through your GP," she said. Measles is a highly infectious, itchy rash with a fever, which typically affects children, but medicos are now seeing a spike in older age groups. People struck down with measles usually have a rash and flu-like symptoms. It begins with the "prodrome phase" which lasts about two to four days. A person can experience a fever that exceeds 38 degrees Celsius, as well as a cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis — redness and swelling of the eyes. "Often, patients look quite unwell during this time as well, and then as the illness progresses, the rash starts," Dr Raman said. The measles rash usually begins three to five days after the prodrome phase. The rash is usually red, and raised, and can be flat. It typically starts on the face, around the hairline, and then spreads down into the neck, the trunk, the arms, legs, and feet. "[The measles rash] is initially spotty, then merges over time to become blotchy patches. And it's always a little bit trickier to see these spots on patients with darker skin tones," Dr Raman said. Measles can be a nasty virus, especially for the vulnerable, elderly or immunocompromised. The Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends vaccination for people born during or since 1966 who have not received the two doses, particularly healthcare workers, childhood educators, and carers. Dr Raman suggests pregnant women should not get the vaccine but instead speak with their GP. She said it was important to see a healthcare professional if you suspect you have the measles to prevent its spread. "This is a highly contagious virus, but it's also important for patients to seek medical attention if they're not feeling quite well."
ABC News
06-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Canberrans encouraged to get vaccinated as influenza cases rise and doctors brace for 'whopper' flu season
Early influenza infections paint an "ominous" picture of the coming flu season and should be an urgent reminder to get vaccinated, doctors say. Across Australia, there have been more than 71,000 lab-confirmed influenza cases since January. The ACT has recorded 817 infections so far this year, representing a more than 56 per cent increase on the same period in 2024. Max Mollenkopf says doctors are bracing for a "whopper" flu season this year. ( ABC Newcastle: Jesmine Cheong ) Royal Australian College of General Practitioners NSWACT deputy chair, Max Mollenkopf, said it had been an "awful" start to the year. "Which is pretty ominous when we're so early in the season and it's pretty spooky to think about what might happen over the next few months," Dr Mollenkopf said. "Doctors are bracing for another whopper of a season. "I certainly think there is a degree of vaccine fatigue in the community over the last couple of years and … we're really hoping we can get people back on track." Health authorities are urging Canberrans to get the flu vaccine to help take pressure off the health system. ( AAP: Lukas Coch ) As winter approaches, ACT Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman is urging people to get vaccinated to "take pressure off the health system". "We won't be able to tell what type of season this will be until a little bit longer into the season," Dr Coleman said. " Having a vaccine is the simplest and most effective way we can reduce the likelihood of severe illness. " Free pop-up influenza vaccination clinics will be available for children aged six months to under five. ( ABC News: Lily Nothling ) The ACT government has announced a string of free pop-up clinics to get more children immunised against the flu. The service will be available for those aged six months to under five years old. "Our under five-year-olds, and also our over 65-year-olds, can actually get really sick with influenza," Dr Coleman said. "Sometimes [those people are] even needing hospitalisation, and sometimes unfortunately we do see some people pass away." Vaccine supply woes Samantha Kourtis says she's had to turn away patients seeking the flu vaccine. ( ABC News: Luke Stephenson ) Accessing a flu vaccine has not been easy for everyone. Canberra pharmacist Samantha Kourtis said chemists were having trouble sourcing government-funded vaccines under the National Immunisation Program (NIP). "That's for our most vulnerable Canberrans — we just can't get enough to meet demand," Ms Kourtis said. "This is creating a really distressing and frustrating situation. "We've had patients in our community in West Belconnen having to drive to the other side of Canberra to get their flu vaccine." The free NIP flu vaccine is available for children under five, pregnant people, those with underlying medical conditions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, and people over 65. ( ABC News: Michael Lloyd ) The NIP funds free flu jabs for children aged under five, anyone pregnant or with underlying medical conditions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, and people aged over 65. Ms Kourtis said some pharmacies and GP clinics were having to close down their bookings and turn people away. "We're doing around 40 to 50 NIP vaccines a day, and I'm getting delivered 80 to 100 vaccines every two weeks," she said. "When we have to say no [to people], we certainly do worry. "Are they going to come back? Are they missing their opportunity? Is the next opportunity for them to get a vaccine in a month's time? Is that going to be too late?" Kerryn Coleman says there is enough flu vaccines for all Canberrans who want them. ( ABC News: Lily Nothling ) Strict guidelines mean the vaccines cannot be shared between pharmacies and can only be delivered by ACT health staff. Dr Coleman said Canberra was not grappling with a flu vaccine shortage. "We have enough influenza vaccine for everyone who wants one to get one," she said. "Sometimes what we see is there's a little bit of a mismatch between the demand at a particular location and when the next supply delivery is made. "We're all trying our best to meet everybody's needs and sometimes there's just a couple of days where they might not be available."
