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Australians will have access to a new Medicare smartcard

Australians will have access to a new Medicare smartcard as part of the government’s electronic health agenda to improve the quality and accessibility of patient information across the health system.

24 Jun 2004

West and central Africa is on the brink of the largest polio epidemic in recent years

Epidemiologists of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative today issued a stark warning that west and central Africa is on the brink of the largest polio epidemic in recent years.

23 Jun 2004

Australian childhood immunisation incentives to continue

Funding for the General Practice Immunisation Incentives Scheme (GPII) will now continue on an ongoing basis to ensure that Australia’s 90 per cent plus childhood immunisation coverage is maintained.

23 Jun 2004

Lingering outbreak of pertussis in four Chicago-area counties

Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director, today urged parents to ensure their children have been properly immunized against this highly contagious disease and asked that persons exhibiting symptoms to immediately seek medical care.

20 Jun 2004

Australian researchers awarded funding for new HIV vaccines

Australian researchers at Monash University have been awarded $488,125 in development grants by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for projects exploring new vaccines for HIV, the development of medical diagnostic devices and the development of drugs to treat metastatic cancers.

17 Jun 2004

Significant vaccine advance for Parkinson’s disease therapy

Scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and Columbia University Medical Center in New York have discovered a new vaccine approach that successfully prevents the death of brain cells in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease.

15 Jun 2004

G8 commitment to eradicate polio welcomed

The spearheading partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative - the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF - welcome the determination, support and actions of the G8 leaders in their committed efforts to eradicate polio.

11 Jun 2004

Postnatal exposure to a mercury preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines can lead to the development of autism-like damage

A new study published online June 8 in the Nature publication, Molecular Psychiatry, indicates that postnatal exposure to thimerosal, a mercury preservative commonly used in a number of childhood vaccines, can lead to the development of autism-like damage in autoimmune disease susceptible mice

11 Jun 2004

Australian government to provide free pneumococcal disease vaccinations

The Commonwealth Government will provide free vaccines to protect newborn babies and older people from pneumococcal disease, as well as a catch up program for toddlers.

11 Jun 2004

UN focus on child rights in Myanmar

In the second periodic report of Myanmar, the Committee welcomed the adoption of Rules and Regulations related to the Child Law in 2001; the creation of the National Human Rights Committee in 2000; Myanmar Women’s Affairs Federation in 2003, whose mandate included promotion and protection of the rights of children

7 Jun 2004

UN focus on child rights in Sao Tome and Principe

The Committee, having considered the initial report of Sao Tome and Principe, welcomed the adoption of laws and the establishment of various mechanisms aimed at protecting and promoting the rights of children such as

7 Jun 2004

150 top scientists debate and offer expert advice on cutting edge vaccine research

More than 150 top scientists, researchers and public health experts from around the world will meet in Switzerland next week to present, debate and offer expert advice on cutting edge vaccine research and development, as well as vaccine policy and implementation.

3 Jun 2004

Dire health consequences for millions of people in Darfur, Sudan

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of dire health consequences for millions of people in Darfur, Sudan. A significant increase in disease and death is inevitable without a rapid increase in external help.

3 Jun 2004

Women exposed in adulthood to cytomegalovirus may be at greater risk of breast cancer

A study just published in the prestigious British Journal of Cancer by researchers at the University of Otago's Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Dunedin School of Medicine, and the University of Melbourne, has found evidence of a link between a common virus and breast cancer in women under the age of 40 years.

31 May 2004

Possible new second-generation multiple sclerosis therapy

Scientists from Genencor International, Inc., have demonstrated in an in vivo model that a new variant of recombinant interferon-beta reduces the immunological response to the protein.

25 May 2004

Health-care providers can now review and update immunization records for patients online

Health-care providers can now review and update immunization records for patients online using the new and improved Web-based CHILD Profile Immunization Registry. The system is operated by the Department of Health and makes it easier for health-care professionals to keep track of immunization records.

25 May 2004

New AMA guide - Adults Only Vaccination: A Step-by-Step Guide

New for physicians is “Adults Only Vaccination: A Step-by-Step Guide," a comprehensive resource by the Immunization Action Coalition that covers all aspects of a vaccination program – from assessing vaccine indications and contraindications to determining billing codes.

24 May 2004

Suspension of the initial dose of hepatitis B vaccine appears to have contributed to fewer newborns being vaccinated in 2000

A temporary suspension of the initial dose of hepatitis B vaccine appears to have contributed to fewer newborns being vaccinated for hepatitis B in 2000 than in 1998, according to a study published in the May 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

22 May 2004

WHO to tackle heart disease, diabetes, cancers, road safety as well as diseases

The World Health Assembly, the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization, has raised global public health to a new level, by resolving to take more action to prevent death and illness resulting from heart disease, diabetes, cancers, road safety, and lack of access to health services as well as from diseases spread by viruses, bacteria and other dangerous microbes.

22 May 2004

Network formed to tackle potentially fatal reaction to smallpox vaccine

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), launched the Atopic Dermatitis and Vaccinia Network (ADVN), a nationwide research group that seeks to reduce the risk of eczema vaccinatum (EV), a severe and potentially deadly complication of smallpox immunization.

19 May 2004