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A WARNING THAT THIS STORY MAY BE DISTRESSING FOR SOME LISTENERS The New South Wales government is investigating the circumstances surrounding the escape of two patients from the same hospital, who days later were allegedly involved in separate incidents where three people died. Mental health professionals say it's again thrown the state's mental health care crisis into the spotlight.
The rise of antibiotic resistance is threatening millions of lives worldwide, but “unconventional” Australian research could make obsolete medications effective again. Data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that some of the most common illnesses in the world are becoming more resistant to treatment every year. Dr Maud Eijkenboom says the current approach of developing new antibiotics is losing the battle against ever-evolving viruses and bacteria. After her son struggled with a resistant disease, Dr Eijkenboom set on her own path to discover a better way eradicate the rising wave of lethal pathogens. In 2021, she founded Lixa, a Perth-based biotech company receiving international support for its “game-changing” research. In this edition of Weekend One on One, she speaks with SBS's Cameron Carr about the impact of her research, and started by explaining what Lixa is all about.
A lot of people already identify or know the problems from smoking and what it can do for your health, but not a lot of people understand that loneliness or social isolation carries around the same health risks of smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Tyler Prochnow is an assistant professor at Texas A&M at their School of Public Health and an expert in social connectedness, physical activity and mental health.
Fodmap, high protein, gluten-free, lowfat, clean eating - so many diets, so much conflicting advice. Australian experts are warning that following multiple diets at the same time could have unexpected consequences.
As with most years, the health sector has been a constant source of news stories - from outbreaks of illnesses to outstanding medical research, from politics to pandemics, from injuries to infections. SBS news looks back at some of the medical stories that hit the news in 2025.
An Australian cancer research centre has been awarded a 2.5 million dollar grant to further their research into one of the country 's deadliest brain cancers. Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne hope to fast-track diagnosis and treatment options.
A new report from UNICEF Australia has found less than a third of Australian teens are feeling excited or hopeful about their futures. Mental health issues and anxiety around 'adult' challenges like housing and money are key drivers of declining wellbeing. For marginalised children and teens, these kind of pressures are felt even more acutely.
Around one in four Australians are failing to seek support when experiencing perinatal mental health issues. Experts say the data released by the Gidget Foundation highlights a lack of awareness around signs and symptoms, and ongoing stigma around the issue.
State premiers have come together for an urgent meeting, as tensions rise over reaching a new public hospital funding deal with the federal government. A new report from the Grattan Institute also finds Australia's hospitals are wasting more than $1 billion a year on avoidable spending.
The Victorian government has released the final report of an inquiry into women's experiences of pain - and it's made for some uncomfortable reading. Shaped by the experiences of 13,000 women and girls, the report has revealed gender health gaps, experiences of medical bias, sexism and misogyny, and feelings of being ignored or dismissed by clinicians are rampant throughout the Victorian health system.
Demand for donated eggs is growing in Australia as more people face fertility challenges. But the demand for eggs far outstrips their supply and now, experts are arguing Australia should consider changing the rules around donation.
New national clinical guidelines for the treatment of concussion have been released. They are aimed at helping healthcare professionals treat patients with greater consistency, amid concern that providing the right care can still be a blind spot.
A long-awaited Aged Care Act comes into force today [[Nov 1]], four years after a Royal Commission recommended major reforms to the sector. The federal government says it will give older Australians more choice and access to in-home support, but there are concerns many people will end up paying more for care.
The federal government will add a medicine for chronic kidney disease into the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. More than 65.000 Australians are expected to benefit from the cheaper access to Jardiance , also known as Empagliflozin.
A decade after a landmark study proved that feeding peanut products to young babies could prevent them developing life-threatening allergies, a new US study has shown it's making a big difference in the real world. The study has found about 60,000 children in the United States have avoided developing peanut allergies after new guidance was issued in 2015 about when to introduce the allergen to youngsters.
Australian researchers have found breastfeeding can protect women against breast cancer by building up their immunity. According to a new study, pregnancy and breastfeeding produces infection-fighting T-cells that help guard against abnormal cells that could develop into cancer.
Despite a growing awareness around mental health, research shows burnout in the workplace is still a major challenge. Experts say without proper training and healthy boundaries in the workplace, more and more Australians will consider leaving their jobs in the next year.
A new report is calling for a national database on miscarriage to address ongoing invisibility around miscarriage and early pregnancy loss in Australia, particularly for First Nations women and in rural and regional communities. This comes as the government announced a $9.5 million funding package in May last year to improve awareness and support for early pregnancy loss.
California is to phase out certain ultraprocessed foods from school meals over the next decade under a first-in-the-nation law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Schools will have to start removing those foods from their menus by July 2029, and districts will be barred from selling them for breakfast or lunch by July 2035.
Laws have been introduced into federal parliament to stop employers from scrapping leave entitlements when families face the tragedy of a stillbirth or death of their baby.









