Rates of Genital warts have dropped in both young women and and heterosexual men following widespread vaccination of girls and women aged 12-26 years with the cervical cancer vaccine. Since 2007 the vaccine against Human papilloma virus has been provided free to young women in this country. About 80% of eligible adolescent girls have received […]

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I would guess most of my readers love to travel. Now we have a medical excuse? Recently someone sent me this blog post outlining the dangers of sitting at ones desk all day!

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I have recently been asked about Melatonin for jetlag A product circadan = 2 mg slow release melatonin was approved last year in australia by The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use in persons over 55 years of age http://www.medicalobserver.com.au/news/tga-approves-melatonin-for-adult-insomnia However the cochraine review http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab001520.html …did not encourage the use of 2mg slow release melatonin […]

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I have some great news that probably wont make it to the headlines of the local papers! I have just been to a meeting in Melbourne. A new vaccine for meningitis should be available in Australia in early November. This type of vaccine has been available in the USA for some years but is only […]

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Front cover – Dr Deb in Morocco ; Aït_Benhaddou Inside back cover – add info on the app P 16 Info on vaccines and blood donation …If you wish to donate blood, it is advisable to donate prior to vaccination or to delay donation for 3 days after receiving inactivated (dead) vaccines ( eg flu) […]

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Dengue is breaking out in Delhi, just in time for the Commonwealth games. This is not a great surprise. The virus is transmitted by mosquito bites. Dengue mosquitoes breed easily in cities. The dengue mosquito can breed in a pot plant saucer. . City with infected persons + building sites + monsoon = great recipe […]

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“If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel” ..Department of Foreign Affairs, Australian Government Even if you have insurance, you need to be aware of loopholes. Insurers are expert at finding loopholes so they don’t have to pay your claim. Insurance companies take in a lot more money than they pay out […]

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Picaridin is a new but effective repellent, that some persons find more pleasant to use than DEET. It does not eat your plastic for a start! . ‘DEET’ is the gold standard effective mosquito repellent to apply on your skin. Repellents work by blocking the receptors on the mosquitoes antennae, so the mosquitoes cannot find […]

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Many travellers are desperate to sleep on the aircraft, but many don‘t understand the risk they are taking if they take a sleeping pill. It seems so simple to just take a sleeping pill. They want to sleep and avoid the discomfort of the flight. They want to just wake and it all be over. […]

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As many readers will be aware, Australia has the highest risk of developing melanoma of anywhere in the world. Australians have a lifetime risk of one in 28 persons who live to age 75. Studies have recently shown that vaccination early in life against smallpox (vaccinia) or tuberculosis (BCG) or both, confers a significant and […]

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