Health Report

This week, an update on the diphtheria outbreak across multiple Australian states. What's changed to allow the spread to occur?
How to build healthier housing for remote communities - and it starts with maintenance.
A new trial shows some everyday steps people can take to protect themselves against depression.
And reviewing the evidence on calcium and vitamin D when it comes to fractures and falls.
References:
Ebola outbreak outpacing health response, WHO chief says
Ebola-hit DR Congo faces 'catastrophic collision' of disease and conflict, WHO warns
Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus, Democratic Republic of the Congo & Uganda
Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation (CDC)
Calcium, vitamin D, or combined supplementation to prevent fractures and falls: systematic review and meta-analysis
Diphtheria in Australia – Epidemiological update – 18 May 2026
Impact of Restriction-Resumption Protocols on Mood and Anxiety in Healthy Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial

The popularity of peptides appears to be growing in Australia - what do we know about who is using them, what's in them and the risks?
A large study of Australians with Parkinson's disease finds links to certain pesticides and high-risk occupations.
For people with heart failure, there's a procedure that you can avoid with no ill-effect.
And an outbreak of diptheria across multiple states in Australia - how did this happen?
References
Obesity and cardiovascular disease: A clinical consensus statement from the National Heart Foundation of Australia
Impact and Effectiveness of Australia's 2025 Hybrid RSV Immunisation Program: Results from the PAEDS-FluCAN Network
Diphtheria outbreak could be 'contained within months' but response criticised as too slow
Responding to injectable synthetic peptide use among young people: priorities for clinicians and public health
Insights from a cross-sectional population-based study of 10,929 Australians living with Parkinson's disease: risk factors, comorbidities, and sex differences
Cardiac resynchronization therapy with or without atrioventricular node ablation in atrial fibrillation: the CAAN-AF trial

The World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern over an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
How does the disease spread, how can it be treated and how concerned should we be?
Further Information:
Why is there no vaccine for this Ebola outbreak?
Ebola vaccine could take nine months as death toll rises further, WHO warns.
Ebola disease in DRC and Uganda.
Epidemic of Ebola Disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda determined a public health emergency of international concern.
Absence of USAID likely slowed Ebola detection and response, former officials say

ACL injuries are very common in Australia - and the common thinking has been that if you tear your ACL, you'll need surgery. Researchers are arguing the best evidence says we should be looking to rehab first, and that for many people they will recover without surgery.
Microplastics in our food supply - from processing and production - mean all of us are ingesting some level of plastic into our bodies. A new study out of Western Australia shows that it is possible to reduce your exposure, but it takes a lot of work.
There's a growing evidence base for the use of digital interventions for people with some categories of eating disorder. And they might have spillover benefits for mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, which can co-occur with an eating disorder. But how do you find one that you can trust?
Plus, the renaming of polycystic ovary syndrome and the implications for people with the condition.
References:
Low-plastic diet and urinary levels of plastic-associated phthalates and bisphenols: the randomized controlled PERTH Trial
Treatment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture
Acute, Longer-Term, and Transdiagnostic Outcomes After Digital Interventions for Eating Disorders
Aluminium adjuvants in vaccines and potential health effects: systematic review
Polycystic ovary syndrome renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome
Thriving Kids - Services Australia

Urgent care clinics are getting $1.8 billion in this year's federal budget to make them a permanent part of Australia's health system. We speak to the Health Minister Mark Butler about the decision.
'Fitspo' content that sometimes glamourises a ripped bod or restrictive ways of eating could be flooding your social feed - what do we know about its effect on our mental health?
And 'phage therapy' - a novel form of treatment aimed at providing an alternative to antibiotics. What are bacteriophages, how does this therapy work and how far off is it from showtime?
Plus, success for Australia in eliminating trachoma - an infectious eye disease - as a public health issue. 
References:
Australia becomes the 30th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem
Mpox disease epidemiology, vaccine uptake and vaccination coverage in Australia 2022–2024: a descriptive study
Hantavirus-hit cruise ship leaves Cape Verde after three evacuated
Major budget boost means Medicare Urgent Care Clinics are here to stay
Lifting the Screen on Fitspiration: A Meta-Analysis
Cross-reactive anti-prophage antibodies and bacterial heteroresistance implicated in phage therapeutic failure