Risks and illnesses

The inflammation of the stomach and intestines, known as gastroenteritis, is typically caused by a virus, bacterium or a parasite.

It takes just one imperceptible bite for the transmission of what could be a life-threatening disease, which makes us ask: ‘How can such a tiny, fragile insect cause so much pain, suffering and annoyance?’ (Webb 2016)

This year in particular the focus of Lung Foundation Australia’s Pneumonia Awareness Week (May 13–20) is very much on members of the community who are the most vulnerable, numbering among them those impacted by lung disease and lung cancer, but also people aged 65 years and older.

Every morning we wake to new information, data and articles on the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 and the illness it causes, COVID-19. This makes it difficult to keep track of what we do now know – and there is still plenty that we don’t unfortunately – and how it could impact us.

It’s a topic we have covered before, but all current evidence points to the fact that it is not going away anytime soon – Measles!

BAT: Noun /bæt/ Order Chiroptera: the second biggest order within the animal division (class) of Mammalia with over 1,300 species; found in most places except for the two Poles and a few Pacific islands.

Bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics is hardly news, but when it’s a common sexually transmitted infection (STI) like gonorrhoea and the level of resistance means that some cases have been impossible to treat using available antibiotics, that’s alarming!

If you have a dog at home you’ll know full well that Buddy or Bella must be wormed regularly - for their sake as well as your own, so you don’t become infected too.

A news article published in the last couple of weeks has provided a reminder that we aren’t immune from many of the diseases that are prevalent in other regions of the world, even developed ones; not when we are such avid travellers.