Dementia is more common in people who live near main roads, a major study has found, raising more concern about impact of traffic pollution on people's health.  

Hundreds of Victorians have been diagnosed with Ross River virus after heavy rains probably caused mosquito populations to surge, Victoria's Chief Health Officer says.

For 39-year-old Jacinta Jamieson, her specialist breast cancer nurse is a carer, therapist, social worker and friend in one comforting package.

Doctors and health experts have criticised a government review of vehicle emissions and air pollution for underreporting the health risks, sidelining the Minister for Health, and potentially putting thousands of Australians' lives at risk.

"In terms of knowledge, diagnosis, optimal treatment, guideline-based care, I'm pretty sure that machines are already, in some ways, much better than we are."

• COMMENT

This year you are going to lose weight. Really. Not like last year, when you tried to eat less and exercise more and ended up no lighter, but by approaching the problem differently. Because calories in and calories out is probably the worst way to think about it.

The deaths of Carrie Fisher and George Michael are the headline-grabbers that also highlight a wider social issue.

• COMMENT

I am an epic sleepwalker. A world class somnambulist. I defy you to find a better nightwalker. And it is magnificent.

A fourth case of the highly contagious measles has been detected in Sydney, prompting renewed warnings from health authorities after the latest patient visited multiple public sites while still infectious.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service needs 5000 additional blood donors Christmas and New Years to stave off a blood shortage.

Elly Calabia doesn't talk about survival rates and life expectancy with her doctor. She's thinking of her Christmas decorations, her next home renovation and the ham she'll cook for her family on Sunday. 

A rise in cryptosporidium infections has triggered a warning from NSW health authorities urging the public to say out of swimming pools if they have diarrhoea.

Women who have had breast implants have been advised to talk to their doctor if they notice any changes in their breasts, after 46 Australian cases of rare anaplastic large cell lymphoma were linked to implants, three of which led to death.

Australia's move to prescription-only codeine within 18 months has sparked fears of stockpiling while appropriate users face added medical costs; and the problems of addiction and access to pain care remain.

• EXCLUSIVE

A Melbourne doctor who has given scores of sick people a lethal drug has won a fight against the medical board, with a tribunal ruling his practise is consistent with other forms of palliative care.

Painkillers containing codeine, such as Panadeine and Nurofen Plus, will require a prescription from 2018 to help prevent Australians getting addicted to the drug.

Asthma sufferers will get some relief in the government's mid-year budget update with almost $130 million in drug subsidies.

Five-year-old Saraya is one of the lucky ones to benefit from a hearing and language program that is transforming lives.

All three adults spent considerable time in the Sydney metropolitan area while they were infectious, NSW Health reported on Friday.

For a surgeon pushing an operation, he was frighteningly honest about his work.

A new screening program is identifying patients prone to developing pancreatic cancer, an insidious disease that kills fast and is notoriously difficult to detect early enough to treat.

The important role vitamin D plays in early human life is back in the spotlight after Australian researchers noticed a link between a deficiency in pregnancy and autism.

The first comprehensive study of pricing at school canteens in NSW found unhealthy snacks, hot food and drinks are significantly cheaper than healthy options.

A generation of parents no longer remembers the risks and potential for serious consequences from the disease.

Cholesterol lowering drugs taken by millions of Australians might protect against Alzheimer's Disease, a large study suggests.

A professional sports concussion class action in Australia is a step closer with the launch of a website seeking input from former athletes.

It's the second most common cancer in Australia, but too many people wrongly believe bowel cancer is more of a man's disease, a NSW survey suggests. 

A national shortage of three first line antibiotics is forcing hospitals to stockpile, ration and use back-up treatments that expose patients battling serious infection to more toxic drugs, and embolden superbugs.

Pizza Hut's latest move in home deliveries is concerning public health experts who say Australia's obesity crisis is as bad as ever.