According to Google Trends, the top globally trending topic this week is “orthohantavirus”, as spurious sites claim it’s the next pandemic on the horizon. Take it from me: it’s not. This baseless claim circulating online underscores the need to get health information from reputable sources – and that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on social media. What is orthohantavirus “Orthohantavirus” - commonly known as hantavirus – is a very, very rare virus. There have never been confirmed...

We usually think of viral respiratory infections, like the common cold, as mild nuisances that pass in a few days. But the Wuhan coronavirus has proven to be different. Of those infected, around 2% are reported to have died but the true mortality is unknown. There’s much we’re yet to learn about this new virus, but we know it often causes pneumonia, an infection of the lungs which produces pus and fluid and reduces the lungs’ ability to absorb oxygen. Of the first 99 people with severe...

An outbreak of the Ebola virus, which started in a rural region of Guinea in West Africa, has now spread to the nation's capital Conakry. It now reportedly involves 122 people, of which 78 have died. Additional cases have been reported in Liberia and Sierra Leone, which border Guinea. The disease caused by the virus is dramatic and awful. It starts with flu-like symptoms - a fever, sore throat, extreme tiredness and muscle pain. Within a few days, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea develop. While...

Of the dangers facing travellers to Brazil for the World Cup, yellow fever is one of the least likely to pose a real threat. But there are two important things to know about the illness. First, it’s a deadly disease (of the nine cases reported in unvaccinated travellers in Europe and North America between 1970 and 2002, eight people died). Second, an effective vaccine exists and unlike other travel-related vaccines, it may be a legal requirement for travellers to endemic areas to have a...

The current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is now the largest recorded since the virus was first described in 1976. That this outbreak is... The content on this site is only available to health practitioners registered to practice in Australia. To continue reading please login or sign up for access. View more jobs >>