Healthcare
Victorian child confirmed to have rare and dangerous H5N1 bird flu
A critically ill child who returned from India in March was infected with the disease, which has killed millions of animals worldwide.
- by Angus Dalton and Bianca Hall
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Healthcare
Heart surgery suspended at Melbourne hospital after second equipment failure
The fault in a machine that takes over the function of the heart and lungs during surgery was the second equipment malfunction at the Austin in the past month.
- by Jewel Topsfield
Explainer
Healthcare
‘Disorders of consciousness’: The million-dollar question and the mysteries of coma
An “acute brain failure” jettisons a patient, their doctors and families into an anxious twilight zone. How aware is a person in a coma? And how are decisions made in the face of uncertainty?
- by Jackson Graham
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Healthcare
The unusual plan to reverse the long-running sperm and egg drought
In a bid to help hundreds of patients wanting to start a family, the state government has launched a campaign to encourage Victorians to donate their sperm and eggs.
- by Henrietta Cook
The virus soup that’s making Victorians so sick
Xavier complained of a headache. Within hours, he was having seizures in hospital. The five-year-old is one of the rising number of Victorians falling victim to the flu, COVID-19 or RSV.
- by Henrietta Cook and Melissa Cunningham
St John Ambulance drivers told to hit the brakes
St John Ambulance has reduced the maximum speeds its drivers can reach while responding to life-threatening emergencies.
- by Michael Genovese
Virus soup: The five things making Sydney sick
Influenza and COVID-19 are spreading rapidly in NSW, but they are not our only problem.
- by Megan Gorrey
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Healthcare
Patient seriously harmed after equipment fails during heart surgery
Between July 2021 and June 2022, 151 people died because of preventable errors in Victorian hospitals, according to data obtained by The Age.
- by Aisha Dow
Queensland doctors demand answers over end-of-life care funding
The Australian Medical Association’s Queensland branch has made 14 submissions to the Miles government ahead of the June state budget, asking for further investments in palliative care amid uncertainty over the allocation of previous funds.
- by Fraser Barton
The helping hand that taught Shae how to connect with her baby
Shae Bradshaw had hoped once her baby daughter was born all her fears about being a failure as a mother would disappear.
- by Melissa Cunningham
When Anna is called to deliver a baby, the birth plan has not gone to plan
More than 600 babies are born before their arrival at hospital each year, and a new program pairs midwives with paramedics to better manage care.
- by Mary Ward