Your speedy update on all the day’s stories, Friday, June 20 2014
1. Measles warning released as fear of an outbreak increases.
Health authorities fear a severe outbreak of measles in Queensland with concerns much of the population has not received the second vital dose of the vaccine. People require 2 doses of the vaccine containing the measles virus to be properly immunised. Many adults are not vaccinated with the 2nd dose as it wasn’t listed on the immunisation list when they were children. Queensland Health senior medical officer Dr Heidi Carroll says, “It’s one of the most highly contagious diseases we have.” Measles is spread through the virus travelling through coughing and sneezing. Signs to watch our for is a viral infection that causes a cough, runny nose and then develops into the red spotty rash that starts on the face before spreading through the rest of the body. “There’s no treatment, other than prevention. It’s a really nasty illness and that’s why we encourage people to get vaccinated,” said Dr Carroll. So far, 41 cases of the virus (which can be deadly) have been reported this year (in 2013 a total of 52 cases were reported). For more information on measles visit the Queensland Health website or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).
2. Our kids on prescription drugs.
A study by the University of Sydney has found the rise in the number of prescriptions for medications for children and adolescents to treat attention deficit disorder, severe depression and psychosis is as much as 50 per cent. The Sydney University study found that over a four-year period, ending in 2012, the use of Ritalin jumped by 35 per cent nationwide. Anti-depressant medication for children aged between 10 and 14 jumped by more than 1/3 and anti-psychotic prescriptions rose by almost 50 per cent. Professor Philip Mitchell head of psychiatry at the University of New South Wales told the ABC “We’ve got to be careful we don’t over-prescribe but for children with clear psychotic illnesses such as those, these can make a huge difference to people’s lives.”