A spike in RSV cases, brain cancer research and menopausal fog: the Illawarra's health check
Clockwise from top left: Keshika Jayakumar, Alex Mason, Lauren Dewsbury, Michelle Taylor, and Kiarn Roughley. Pictures by Adam McLean and Anna WarrBetween its many health professionals, its hospitals, and the. . .
Clockwise from top left: Keshika Jayakumar, Alex Mason, Lauren Dewsbury, Michelle Taylor, and Kiarn Roughley. Pictures by Adam McLean and Anna WarrBetween its many health professionals, its hospitals, and the research coming out of the University of Wollongong, the Illawarra is rarely short on health news. Subscribe now for unlimited access. or signup to continue readingSave 30%All articles from our website& appThe digital version ofToday'sPaperAll otherin your areaHere are some of the health headlines of the month so far. No change to medication PBS listingsIn good news for people with multiple sclerosis, the federal Health Minister Mark Butler has announced that two commonly used medications will remain on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Shell Cove woman Michelle Taylorspoke to theMercuryabout her fearsthat the medication she used would jump from $7 a month to $30,000 a year - a sum that would put the drug financially out of reach. But on Thursday, July 16, news came through that the government would continue to subsidise the costs of the two medications. Farewell to health district chiefThe woman who helmed the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District for more than a decade has been tasked with tackling one of its most wicked problems. "I have been deeply committed to ensuring that older people and people with a disability can live in the place that is right for them and that they receive the care and support that suits their individual needs," Ms Mains said. Private and public hospitals pilot ED programA nurse employed by Wollongong Private Hospital operator Ramsay Health is now stationed in Wollongong Hospital's emergency department in a first for the state. Wollongong Private Hospital CEO Steve Rajcany and Health Minister Ryan Park say it can free up beds in the public system, although Health Consumers NSW has flagged some concerns. The illness that's felling more people than the fluPeople are urged to consider getting vaccinated against an illness that is far outpacing influenza in terms of diagnosed cases in the Illawarra Shoalhaven this winter. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a highly contagious virus, causes mild illness in many people, but it is a leading cause of hospitalisation among babies and older adults. Diagnosed cases of RSV in the Illawarra Shoalhaven outnumber cases of the flu three to one. Hope that research could lead to quicker drug developmentUniversity of Wollongong scientist Dr Alex Mason hopes that his project will give patients with such conditions as motor neurone disease access to treatments faster. Dr Mason and his team areworking on a technologyto make medical researchers better able to grow human cells, inspired by a conversation he had with a colleague, MND researcher Dr Dzung Do-Ha. The project has just received a boost with funding from a NSW government initiative that supports medical research that does not require the use of animals. The brain cancer researcher inspired by his friendsKiarn Roughley made friends with brain cancer when he was going through his own treatment for leukaemia as a teen, but not all survived the disease. He thinks that when patients fast, treatments can better target the cancer cells. The entrepreneur driven to help other womenA young tech entrepreneur with a background in health has channelled her own experiences of being dismissed into helping other women facing health challenges. Keshika Jayakumar is the founder of Cyra,an app to help womenscreen for such conditions as endometriosis, adenomyosis and polycystic ovary syndrome and give them the information to advocate for themselves with their doctor. Ms Jayakumar only began working on the app with her co-founder last year, but already has won awards. Could a common supplement help menopausal brain fog?A Wollongong neuroscientist is heading up an Australian-first study investigating whether a common exercise supplement could support the cognition and mood of postmenopausal women. Lauren Dewsbury's MENOCOG trialis looking at whether creatine can help address the energy supply-demand issue that women face when certain hormones decline after menopause. The study is recruiting postmenopausal women from around Australia to take part. More from HealthAs it happensBreaking news alertBe the first to know when news breaks.