NSW Health has issued a measles alert after three young men were confirmed to have been in the community while infectious with measles in the last week. Dr Vicky Sheppeard, Director of Communicable Diseases at NSW Health said that measles is highly contagious among people who are not fully immunised. “Measles is highly infectious and is spread through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms can include fever, tiredness, runny nose, cough and sore red eyes which usually last for several days before a red, blotchy rash appears. Complications can range from an ear infection and diarrhoea to pneumonia or swelling of the brain,” Dr Sheppeard said. She advised that the three young men (aged 25 - 35 years) have recently spent time in Earlwood, Hurlstone Park, Alexandria and Waterloo, while potentially infectious with measles. The men also visited local medical centres in Rozelle, Croydon, Rockdale as well as the Royal Prince Alfred Emergency Department while infectious during the past week. The time from exposure to the onset of symptoms is typically around 10 days but can be as long as 21 days, so there may be other cases in the community now or people who will be developing symptoms over the next few weeks. [ + ]

Newly appointed Director of the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute, Professor Sarah Robertson,  will continue to support world-class research into pregnancy and child health, focussing on preventing preterm birth. [ + ]

Monitoring the incidence, management and outcomes of burns patients is crucial to providing evidence based best practice and consistent care for survivors of these devastating injuries. The bi-national burns registry and burns quality improvement program provides a world-leading repository for burns data writes Heather Cleland, President of the Australian & New Zealand Burn Association. [ + ]

Monash University's Eastern Clinical Research Unit is leading research on investigating the beneficial side of a new glocuse-regulating medication for diabetes sufferers. [ + ]

The majority of older patients return home after hospital stays according to a report released  by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). [ + ]

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have made a major discovery that highlights the important role played by immune cells in the risk of developing breast cancer. [ + ]

GS1 Healthcare work group has developed a new GS1 standard which will provide guidance on how to identify healthcare products at the single unit level. [ + ]

Researchers from the University of Adelaide have identified a likely molecular pathway  of untreatable neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease. [ + ]

International design practice Hassell has appointed noted health architect Sheree Proposch as it undertakes hospital projects across Australia, Asia, the United Kingdom and the Middle East. [ + ]

Chief Executive Officer of Leading Age Services Australia, Patrick Reid, presents the spring edition foreword. [ + ]

When the Federal Government announced plans to introduce a $2000 cap on self-education, the health profession was quick to react. Within days, a campaign was building, and shortly after the business and professional community joined the throng. The Scrap the Cap Alliance now has more than 70 organisations and 24,000 individuals calling for action and has had early success with the Government deferring its implementation for 12 months. While this is positive, there is still work to be done. [ + ]

Serving Older Australians is one of the demonstration projects funded under the NBN Pilot site program. Rod Young writes that it aims to develop a model of home-based supported clinical monitoring with the intent of demonstrating the capacity of individuals to become actively engaged in the management of their care and services. [ + ]

Visiting Dementia Awareness Week lecturer, Dr Kristine Yaffe, says there needs to be greater public awareness of the dangerous links between dementia and some of the country’s most serious chronic diseases that affect millions of Australians. [ + ]

The way the stomach detects and tells our brains how full we are becomes damaged in obese people, leading researchers to believe that diets are doomed to fail for obese people. [ + ]

A new free online service has been launched by Griffith University to overcome negative impacts and provide treatment for amphetamine users. [ + ]