Infectious diseases

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While many scientists are working on developing a coronavirus vaccine, others are busy testing antiviral drugs. Vaccines are generally only effective when administered prior to infection, but antiviral agents are important because they can treat people who already have COVID-19.

Expert/s: Dr Lisa Sedger
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So how much are you at risk of COVID-19 from the door handle in your surgery? Or your desktop? Or the arm of the patient’s chair? Basically the question is how long can this nasty little coronavirus remain viable on the different surfaces in your practice? Well according to Clinical Microbiologist and Infectious Diseases Physician, Dr Bernie Hudson,  COVID-19 can persist and be potentially dangerous up to a week on certain surfaces. Scary isn’t it?

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There’s been some confusion recently on whether we should or shouldn’t take ibuprofen to treat symptoms of COVID-19 – especially after the World Health Organization (WHO) changed its stance. After initially recommending people avoid taking ibuprofen to treat symptoms of the new coronavirus disease, as of March 19 the WHO now does not recommend avoiding ibuprofen to treat COVID-19 symptoms.

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While the majority of patients infected with COVID-19 will not require treatment, there is new hope for those that do go on to become seriously ill. A few treatments developed for other illnesses are showing promise, says Clinical Microbiologist and Infectious Diseases Physician Dr Bernard Hudson.

Expert/s: Healthed
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that anyone entering Australia must enter a 14-day self-quarantine period. Some questions have been raised as to how this new mandate would be administered and enforced. The answer to these questions relies on a somewhat complex patchwork of state and federal laws and whether relevant federal and state government emergency powers have been activated.

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The antibiotic resistance threat is real. In the years to come, we will no longer be able to treat and cure many infections we once could.We’ve had no new classes of antibiotics in decades, and the development pipeline is largely dry. Each time we use antibiotics, the bacteria in our bodies become more resistant to the few antibiotics we still have.The problem seems clear and the solution obvious: to prescribe our precious antibiotics only when absolutely needed. Implementing this nationally is not an easy task. But Australia could take cues from other countries making significant progress in this area, such as Sweden.

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Antibiotic resistance is by no means a new problem, but the latest CDC report into the phenomenon does outline some novel approaches to treating bacterial infection.The advice for slowing infections generally and resistance in particular will be familiar: vaccination, strict hygiene for medical facilities and personnel, and using antibiotics only when needed and for the shortest duration possible. The authors admit that these are only temporary measures however, especially given that some bacteria are now becoming resistant to disinfectants as well.Researchers are also working to develop new types of antibiotics to combat drug resistant bacteria, although most of these efforts are in the early stages. In the shorter term, research has indicated that using specific combinations of existing antibiotics can be effective where current therapies fail.

Expert/s: Ms Maria Cohut

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Psychologist; Director, UNSW Ageing Futures Institute; ARC Laureate Fellow; Senior Principal Research Scientist, NeuRA

Scientia Prof Kaarin Anstey translates the WHO's updated 2026 dementia risk-reduction guidelines changes into concrete actions for opportunistic risk assessment and targeted advice in everyday general practice.