Health

Vaccination rates among children and teens have dropped to "critical" levels, according to experts, who are warning deaths are inevitable if Australia doesn't do more to turn the trend around.

The World Health Ogranization says wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999, but the deadly disease has been detected just over 500 kilometres from Australia's northern border.

One of the joint venture partners chosen to build Perth's new maternity hospital enters voluntary administration after months of uncertainty, but the WA government says the project remains on schedule to open its doors by 2029.

In the largest study of its kind, researchers tested the vitamin D status of more than 70,000 people as babies.

The facility proposed for Parkes could turn 600,000 tonnes of waste into energy each year, but residents fear it may have dangerous health consequences.

Outdoor exercise groups surge in popularity as people look for low-intensity alternatives to keeping fit while staying social.

Another person has died from a rare tropical disease in North Queensland, bringing the state's death toll to 31, but doctors say the number of cases is slowing as the weather dries up.

Brooke McIntosh will arrive in Sydney on Wednesday as she strives to become the fastest woman to run around Australia by clocking up 14,000 kilometres in 180 days.

A global study has identified 25 genes believed to cause obsessive-compulsive disorder, which researchers hope will help reduce the stigma surrounding the disorder.

SA Health apologises to a man who spent nine days waiting for surgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital after shattering his leg in a football game.

Measles cases have reached the highest number of infections nationwide in six years. Health professionals are urging vaccination to prevent further spread.

The premise of the South West's FOGO system was simple — take food and garden waste from residents, turn it into compost and sell it back to them. But the discovery of PFAS contamination has brought the system to an end.

There are concerns many young people with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Australia are falling through the cracks because of a lack of diagnostic and support services.

Cairns was declared "essentially dengue-free" but has now recorded its first locally-transmitted case of the mosquito-borne illness since 2018.

West Australian farmer Nigel Norwood suffered a cardiac arrest while holidaying at a remote beach. His calm and quick-thinking family made sure he survived. 

Kris Stanley, 36, went to the doctor in 2021 after experiencing suicidal thoughts every month. She left the appointment with a "liberating" diagnosis she hadn't even heard of. 

Dogs aren't what you'd expect to see when you step into an intensive care unit, but a study at the Canberra Hospital has found bringing therapy dogs onto the ward reduces anxiety and pain for critically ill patients.

Health authorities urge West Australians to vaccinate against influenza and RSV, as the state lags behind the rest of the country in flu jab uptake.

From a celebrity-spruiked success to a relic of diet culture. How a changing world of nutrition led to Weight Watchers' bankruptcy. 

As flu cases in Canberra continue to climb, health authorities are urging people to get vaccinated against influenza — but pharmacists are grappling with supply challenges.