Chlamydia is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and it’s on the increase. In the Hunter New England Health region the number of reported cases has more than doubled over the past five years.

In 2007 there were 1,751 reported cases of Chlamydia, while in 2006 there were 1857 cases. This is compared to 402 cases in 1999.

Of particular concern is the growing incidence of Chlamydia in young people aged 15 to 25 years, with a 71 per cent increase in the number of reported cases in this age group between 2003 – 2007.

Given these worrying trends Hunter New England Health is kicking off a campaign in April to encourage all sexually active young people to contact their local sexual health clinic, or GP to get tested for Chlamydia.

The campaign aims to raise awareness about the increasing incidence of Chlamydia and educate people as to just how easy it is to get tested.

Hunter New England Health Public Health Physician Dr Tony Merritt said many people with a Chlamydia infection will not have any symptoms and may unwittingly pass the infection onto their partners.

“Too many people are infecting their partners unknowingly and the only way to ensure that you do not have an STI such as chlamydia is to have a sexual health check at your doctor or to visit your local sexual health clinic,” Dr Merritt said.

"The test for Chlamydia is very simple – it’s just a urine sample. Treatment is also easy, usually involving just a single antibiotic tablet.

"Many sexually active people are aware they should have a sexual health check but may find the prospect daunting,” said Dr Merritt.

A sexual health check is a simple process and can be arranged with a GP or through the local sexual health clinic.

Condoms offer good protection against STIs and are an important part of practising safe sex.

“There is a high awareness about the benefits of condom use but it can be a very different story when it comes time to put that knowledge into practice. People often don’t consider themselves at risk or find it embarrassing to talk about using a condom with their partner,” Dr Merritt said.

“The message is simple. If you are sexually active, it is essential to use condoms and have regular sexual health tests at your GP or sexual health clinic so that you know you’re STI free,” Dr Merritt said.

The Hunter New England Health campaign includes a television community service announcement, posters in youth venues and GP surgeries, and back of toilet door advertising in entertainment venues, universities and TAFEs. 

Dr Alan Brichta from the University of Newcastle has received a massive $1 million boost to continue his groundbreaking research into dizziness – a disorder affecting nearly half of Australia’s population over the age of 60.

A Senior/Principal Research Fellowship from The Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation will support Dr Brichta’s work into how balance signals are generated in the inner ear organs and the way this information is transmitted to the brain.

Dr Brichta said understanding these brain signals was the necessary first step for eventually developing strategies to restore function in patients with balance disorders.

"Despite the very debilitating effects of imbalance, dizziness, and vertigo, particularly in the elderly, it is surprising how little we know about the way the inner ear works both under normal conditions, and when things go horribly wrong.

"Surveys of primary care doctors have shown that dizziness and vertigo are as prevalent as hypertension and angina, and approximately 40 per cent of the population will at some stage experience dizziness severe enough to seek medical attention."

Dr Brichta and his team will study hair cells – the special movement detectors in the inner ear – and how they convert changes in head position into electrical signals that can be understood by the brain. He will also examine how balance signals pass to specialised regions of the brain to provide us with our sense of balance.

Dr Brichta’s research is one of the many projects underway at the University’s Priority Research Centre for Brain and Mental Health in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute’s Brain and Mental Health Program.

Based in Melbourne, The Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation was established by the late Mrs Barbara Williams for the advancement of the speciality of Otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and the related medical, surgical and paramedical fields in Australia and other countries.

An HMRI pilot grant, funded by corporate and community donations, enabled Dr Brichta and his team to develop early results, which led to this Fellowship.

HMRI is a partnership between Hunter New England Health, the University of Newcastle and the community.

State-of-the-art simulated hospital wards that will give students a leading edge in their medical training will be unveiled at the University of Newcastle Central Coast campus today.

The purpose-built health skills laboratory features two five-bed hospital wards including preparation areas and a tutorial room. The laboratory will be used by nursing and health sciences students as part of their clinical training.

Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health, Professor Mike Calford, said the new facilities would provide a huge boost to student training.

"The new health skills laboratory is wonderful. With its electronic beds, oxygen outlets and emergency call buttons, it is just like walking into a real working hospital.

"Previously our students had to travel to Gosford Hospital. Now they have their own dedicated clinical teaching space on campus, which is a real boost to their study experience."

The new facility was funded as part of the University’s annual capital expenditure program, including $320,000 for the fit-out of the laboratory and equipment.

The health skills laboratory will also soon be home to a dedicated SimMan, a realistic plastic manikin simulator. SimMan allows students to practice and gain skills in life-like scenarios that will equip them with the knowledge needed to handle real emergencies in the future.

Professor Calford said the new laboratory builds on the considerable investment made by the University in establishing top-class health teaching facilities.

"In recent years we have opened a range of purpose-built health training facilities at the Central Coast campus, including a podiatry laboratory and an oral health clinic. In addition we have recently created a new health sciences precinct.

"These facilities are cementing the University of Newcastle’s reputation as a leader in health and medical sciences training. They also demonstrate our commitment to strengthening the health presence on campus."

Photo opportunity: Today, Wednesday 5 March, at 11.30am in the health skills laboratory located on the ground floor of the Administration Building.

Head through the front glass doors and continue through the second set of glass doors. The health skills laboratory is located in the rear wing.

The latest technology from China and clinical and imaging expertise in the Hunter have been brought together in a bid to minimise the devastating impact of stroke.

A team from Harbin Medical University (HMU) in Northern China is this week meeting with the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) Stroke Research Group to advance research into cooling the brain after a stroke, through a world first acute stroke research partnership between Australia and China.

By cooling the brain, researchers aim to reduce the damage that occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen immediately following a stroke.

The HMU research team will evaluate the effectiveness of a cooling helmet, while the HMRI Stroke Research Group will investigate intravascular technology which cools the blood. Brain imaging technology pioneered in the Hunter will be used in the Australia and China trials to assess and compare the effects of the two cooling technologies.

“Cooling is likely to be the most powerful neuro-protectant treatment we have at the moment,” said Associate Professor Chris Levi, a Hunter New England Health neurologist who heads the HMRI Stroke Research Group.

A delegation from HMU is in Newcastle to meet with representatives from the University of Newcastle’s Faculty of Health; and the HMRI Stroke Research Group, led by Associate Professor Levi.

“The collaboration on stroke research with HMU is one example of the University’s recent extensive engagement with our counterparts in China,” Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Barney Glover, said.

“This strategic focus on developing our international partnerships is reaping rewards for our students, Hunter researchers and our local community.”

The University has also finalised arrangements for communication students to work at the Beijing Olympic Games. In addition, discussions are underway to establish a Confucius Institute in Newcastle; and collaborate on engineering and science research projects in the areas of energy, robotics technology, computer science and IT.

This innovative Australian stroke trial will begin within the next few months and the Chinese trial is likely to begin in 2009. The World Health Organisation estimates that stroke affects 15 million people worldwide each year, with five million experiencing lasting disability.

HMRI is a partnership between Hunter New England Health, the University of Newcastle and the community.

Media opportunity: Friday 15 February, 2pm – 2.45pm.

Associate Professor Chris Levi will be available for interview and pictures with representatives of HMU as they tour MRI scanning facilities at John Hunter Hospital. Meet at the information desk of the Royal Newcastle Centre, Rankin Park Campus of Hunter New England Health (Lookout Road, New Lambton).

For comment:

• Professor Barney Glover, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) on 02 4921 5441
• Associate Professor Chris Levi at the media opportunity – contact Lauren Eyles, HMRI Communications Manager, on 02 4921 4841 or 0434 600 940

A new mental health respite program for the Hunter is taking the pressure off those looking after a person with a mental illness.

Under the Federal Government’s Mental Health Respite Program, respite funding is now available specifically for carers of people with mental health issues.

In October 2007, additional funding was provided to the Hunter Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre, a part of Hunter New England Health.

Mental Health Respite Coordinator Don Thorn said the increased funding is about people who care for a person with a mental illness the opportunity to live an independent life, while caring for a friend or loved one.

“Being a carer for someone who needs ongoing care or support to manage their daily life is a huge responsibility and often coincides with other family, work or community commitments,” Mr Thorn said 

“For whatever reason, and whether it is for an hour, a day or a week, respite care can give carers the break they need.

“The intent of the program is to be flexible in its approach to individual carer needs. This may involve short-term or emergency respite, planned respite or a combination of respite types.”

The target groups of carers for this initiative include:

• Parent carers over 65 years (Indigenous carers over 50 years) who live with and care for children with a mental illness or psychiatric disability

• Non-residential parent carers over 65 years (Indigenous carers over 50 years) who are the primary carer of a child with a mental illness or psychiatric disability

• Carers of people with mental illness of any age who require crisis respite (unplanned respite)

• Carers aged 55 to 65 who live with and care for children with a mental illness/psychiatric disability

• Carers of people with an intellectual disability 

For further information on the Mental Health Respite Program and other types of respite programs contact the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre on free call 1800 059 059.

There is no need to spend hours on end shopping for the perfect gift this year– head to your nearest Donor Centre or mobile unit and give blood. After all, it’s the ultimate gift – life!

With every blood donation helping to save three lives, you can give a special gift to those in need of blood or blood products over the holiday period.

According to Michelle Buxton (Nurse Unit Manager of The Newcastle Donor Centre), the need for blood doesn’t take a holiday:

“With fewer collection days due to the holiday breaks we need to ensure there is enough blood for those in need over Christmas.” Ms Buxton said.

“Over the two week festive period, Australia needs 42,000 blood donations to meet the demand for blood in hospitals around the country.”

Newcastle Donor Centre is open Monday to Friday, hours of operation are as follows:

Monday 8am – 4pm (Closing at 3pm on Christmas Eve -  24th December 2007)
Tuesday 8am – 4pm
Wednesday 1pm – 8pm
Thursday 1pm – 8pm
Friday 8am – 4pm

The Newcastle Donor Centre will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, however in the lead up to the festive Season, the centre will be open on the following Saturday to help ensure there is enough blood and blood products available in the Hunter.

Saturday 22nd December 2007 Open 8am –12 Noon
Monday 24th December 2007 Open 7am to 3pm

The Hunter needs almost 3500 blood donations during December.  This is around 180 per day.

The Hunter Region is a very generous community and has been very supportive in the past.  With your support we can achieve 180 donations a day” concluded Ms Buxton

If you have never donated before or haven’t donated recently now is the time. 

Please call 13 14 95 to make an appointment to donate blood or visit www.donateblood.com.au for more information.

New international research has highlighted the potential danger of using of alcohol-based hand rub in hospitals, prompting calls to increase the security of hand rub dispensers.

The research, published in this week’s British Medical Journal, was conducted by experts from London’s Guys and St Thomas Hospital and the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Professor of Medicine and Toxicology at the University of Newcastle, Professor Alison Jones, said it was the first time experts had looked at the potential dangers of using alcohol-based rubs.

"In the battle to fight hospital-acquired infections, alcohol gel dispensers are now commonly placed in clinical areas of hospitals and care facilities," Professor Jones said.

"We compared the number of people affected by hand rub either by ingestion or contact with eyes over a 16 month period before and after the widespread introduction of the hand rubs.

"Our research showed a more than doubling of the cases of exposure, up from 23 to 50 during that time."

Accidental cases of ingestion were found to occur in very young children, the elderly and confused people, while intentional ingestion was exclusively found in people with an alcohol dependency that were seeking the desired affect.

The study showed that the more serious effects were seen in those who ingested more than 500ml of the hand rub. This primarily occurred when it was mistaken for water and in cases of alcohol dependency.

"While we are keen to stress that poisoning due to alcohol hand rub remains relatively uncommon, it has increased significantly since its widespread introduction into hospitals and other care facilities," Professor Jones said.

"As a result, we are recommending that in areas that are easily accessible by high risk patients, larger hand rub dispensers holding 500ml or more should be placed in secure holders to prevent accidental or intentional ingestion.

"Further, in order to tackle the risks associated with alcohol hand rub ingestion, but keeping in mind the benefits of its use, there needs to be a multidisciplinary and coordinated approach from risk managers, toxicologists and infection control specialists."

The research has been published in the latest edition of the British Medical Journal under the title ‘Lesson of the Week: Alcohol hand rubs: hygiene and hazard."

For further information: Professor Alison Jones via email alison.jones@newcastle.edu.au

While opening the health service’s inaugural Falls Injury Prevention Forum today, Hunter New England Health Acting Chief Executive Dr Nigel Lyons highlighted some startling figures.

Every day about 165 older people present to one of Hunter New England Health’s emergency departments following a fall and as many as 14 of these people die each year as a result of their fall.

"Based on projections, if we do not act on preventing the number of falls now, we will need 800 additional hospitals beds and 1200 residential aged care beds in the next 40 years in NSW. This is just to cater for the expected increase in falls events resulting from the demographic trends of an ageing population," Dr Lyons said.

"As a consequence of these realities – in the NSW State Plan and the NSW Health Plans – prevention of falls injuries is considered everybody’s business," he said.

Earlier this year Hunter New England Health released its Falls Prevention Implementation Plan, which reflects the need for a wide range of people to engage in prevention of falls.

"This includes our clinicians, residential aged care facilities, general practitioners, community care providers and businesses. As is the case with most health challenges in front of us, we need to have a collective response.

"Today’s forum is an early result of the work of our implementation working group that is working across health facilities, residential aged care and community settings to bring these plans to fruition," he said.

Dr Lyons thanked the 175 participants from across the wider Hunter New England Health region for their commitment to helping to reduce the personal and financial burden of falls and fall injury in older people.

During the morning a range of speakers will provide participants with information on topics including:

· The NSW Falls Program – Lorraine Lovitt, NSW Falls Leader, Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC)

· Putting Falls Management into Practice in HNE Health – Patsy Bourke, HNE Health Falls Injury Prevention Coordinator

· Managing the Falls Journey – various speakers providing case studies that meet/do not meet best practice guidelines

The afternoon will host three concurrent sessions for people working in hospital, residential aged care facilities or community settings. The groups will discuss issues ranging from minimising falls in hospital and nursing homes, Vitamin D and calcium intake, rehabilitation and the role of physical activity, as well as many other topics.

Sun beds are not a safe way to get a tan, Hunter researchers are reminding the community during National Skin Cancer Action Week (November 18-24).

“The relationship between exposure to ultraviolet radiation and skin cancers has been well documented, but our research indicates that there may be many people who use solariums without being fully aware of associated risks,” said Dr Christine Paul from the Centre for Health Research and Psycho-oncology (CHeRP*), a collaboration between the Cancer Council NSW and the University of Newcastle.

Researchers from CHeRP, in collaboration with the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI**) Public Health Research Program, conducted a study to establish the proportion of solariums in NSW which complied with Australian and International standards on solarium use.

Australian standards include requirements that solariums advise people with very fair skin that does not tan against using sun beds; display a warning sign within view of each unit; and receive parental consent where customers are aged between 15 and 18 years.

The research involved visiting or telephoning a sample of solariums in NSW, including metropolitan Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Central Coast, and documenting the information conveyed by solarium operators about their services.

Results of the study, published in the European Journal of Cancer in 2005, show that only a few solariums complied with most or all of the Australian and international recommendations.

“One participant who reported to solariums that her skin only burned and never tanned was warned against the use of the sun bed by only 9.7 per cent of solariums, and only 1.1 per cent refused her access,” said Dr Paul.

“Refusing access to people who are at a greater risk of skin cancer and fully informing all users of the risks of using sun beds should be a minimum standard required for solaria operation. There is a need to explore ways to greatly improve compliance to national and international standards by solariums.”

* CHeRP is a collaboration of the Cancer Council NSW and the University of Newcastle and is jointly funded by these organisations.

** HMRI is a partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Health and the community.

HMRI @ the University of Newcastle Monday 19th November 2007

Media contact: Lauren Eyles, HMRI Communications Manager, phone 4921 4841 or 0434 600 940.

Research being conducted through the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) aims to improve the health of children with Type 1 diabetes.

The Hunter has the highest incidence in Australia of Type 1 Diabetes, with about 30 children diagnosed per 100,000 children. The average in Australia is around 20 children per 100,000. Type 1 diabetes in children is on the increase throughout the world. The cause of diabetes is not known but it is thought to be linked to genetic and environmental factors.

Carmel Smart, a Senior Paediatric Endocrine Dietician at Kaleidoscope’s John Hunter Children’s Hospital, is investigating the best ways of educating children with Type 1 diabetes and their families to eat the right foods and administer appropriate insulin doses.

“Our study is internationally important because poor blood sugar control after meals is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, one of the major complications of diabetes,” said Ms Smart. “If we can teach children to match insulin and nutritious carbohydrate foods correctly, this will lessen their chances of complications that can accompany diabetes.

“No studies in the world have looked at this very practical issue that has the potential to make a difference in the daily routines of children with diabetes. And only a few studies have examined whether kids can estimate the carbohydrate content in the foods they eat regularly.

Ms Smart works at the clinic at the John Hunter Children’s Hospital which cares for over 350 toddlers, children and adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes.

Ms Smart was recently awarded a PhD scholarship from the Hunter Children’s Research Foundation (HCRF) to continue this important research. HCRF works in association with HMRI and is affiliated with Kaleidoscope – the Hunter Children’s Health Network.

HMRI is a partnership between Hunter New England Health, the University of Newcastle and the community.

HMRI @ Hunter New England Health
Wednesday 14th November 2007