Month: July 2017

Love your liver

Health & Wellness

Globally, the impact of hepatitis B and hepatitis C is staggering. The World Health Organization estimates 500 million people to be infected with hepatitis B or C worldwide. These viruses kill 1.5 million people a year. Interestingly, 1 in every 3 people has been exposed to either or both viruses. Many of those infected with hepatitis are unaware, as the symptoms lie dormant. In Australia, approximately 225,000 people are living with chronic hepatitis B and approximately 230,500 Australians are living with chronic hepatitis C.

The liver is our largest internal organ – and in some ways, the most complex. Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver – from any cause. Hepatitis C is transmitted via blood-to-blood contact and unlike other common hepatitis viruses A and B, there is no vaccine available to protect against hepatitis C. Treatments now available have resulted in improved outcomes for people infected. Read More >

Diabetes – are you at risk?

Health & Wellness

Diabetes is recognised as the world’s fastest growing chronic condition. The number of people with type 2 diabetes is growing in each country. In 2015, the International Diabetes Federation’s Diabetes Atlas estimated that:

• one in 11 adults has diabetes (415 million)
• one in seven births is affected by gestational diabetes
• three-quarters (75%) of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries
• 542,000 children have type 1 diabetes
• every six seconds a person dies from diabetes (5 million deaths).

Diabetes is the epidemic of the 21st century and also the biggest challenge confronting Australia’s health system. In Australia, 280 people develop diabetes every day. That’s one person every five minutes. More than 100,000 Australians have developed diabetes in the past year. The total annual cost impact of diabetes in Australia is estimated at $14.6 billion. Read More >