Health Report - Full program podcast

How did Australia fare in the first year of the pandemic? What are the 'molecular messages' our body sends during exercise and how can they be used to help treat disease?Are the most common elective orthopaedic surgeries prescribed always the most effective option?And can a pill that combines four low-dose medications transform how high blood pressure is treated?

The COVID outbreak in regional New South Wales is highlighting the comparatively low vaccination rates in Indigenous communities.New research uncovers more on the origins of The Black Death.Researchers try to understand more about the experience of chronic illness after tick bites.And in the US, the trial of the founder of biotech company Theranos begins.

What new research shows about the effect of substituting salt and health - can it save lives?

Australia is pinning its hopes on modelling that says restrictions can start to ease once we hit vaccination targets, but will the high case numbers in NSW disrupt that plan?New research finds that people who are fully vaccinated but contract COVID can still carry high viral loads.Why are some countries seeing high numbers of children in ICUs, while others are not?And why are some teenagers more at risk of regular substance use? The answer - partly at least - may lie within the brain.

How can ventilation be improved to help reduce the spread of COVID?The surprising discovery that patients who isolate prior to surgery are more likely to develop post-operative lung complications.What's it like living with tinnitus and can anything be done about it?And calls to do more to prevent chronic disease.

We now have modelling to guide our way out of the pandemic, but some researchers say we will need to vaccinate even younger age groups to reach sufficient immunity.Why are so many women having critical medical care delayed when experiencing a heart attack?And research shows people living with anxiety are more likely to use alcohol. But what happens when drinking becomes a problem and where can you get help?

What are people experiencing in intensive care as a result of the delta COVID outbreak and how are hospitals coping?

Right now overseas, several covid vaccines are being trialled in children as young as babies 6 months of age. So how long will it be until younger kids can get vaccinated?How pandemic prevention measures have been particularly tough on the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.Cataract surgery can and is sometimes done in both eyes on the same day. But what does a review of the data tell us about whether this is best? And a puzzling link between two things that can cause disability as we age: cognitive decline, and fractures.

What's the best way to manage finite resources in the middle of a pandemic and what can Australia learn from other countries; what a review of COVID research exposes about waste and missed opportunities; low value care has little or any benefit and a new study finds patients agree; and what does research tell us about preventing alcohol and drug misuse in kids?

What does modelling tell us about what it will take to bring the NSW COVID cluster under control; scientists try to settle the debate about the origins of Covid-19; how can people with blood cancers stay safe in the pandemic; and can exercise help counter the toll poor sleeps takes on our health?