Latest Health News
Disappearing into your child's illness
Georgia Blain When her daughter became seriously ill, Georgia Blain entered a dark, almost mythical, kind of underworld.
Young Sophie moves Gillard to tears
DAN HARRISON She is the girl that brought the Prime Minister to tears. Twelve-year-old Sophie met Julia Gillard when she announced her plan to increase the Medicare levy to help pay for DisabilityCare.
Adverts pulled from TV after public backlash
JOSEPHINE TOVEY A pharmaceutical company has withdrawn adverts linking children's dietary supplements and NAPLAN test results after just two days following a public backlash.
Debunking common vaccination myths
Rachael Dunlop Sorting out the truth about vaccines amongst the lies and scaremongering can be difficult. Here are six of the most common myths about vaccination, and why they are wrong.
Childhood lead exposure linked to crime in adulthood
The Conversation Australians who were exposed to high levels of lead as children may be at greater risk of committing violent and impulsive crimes two decades later.
No vaccine, no school, insists doctors' chief
Jonathan Swan, Amy Corderoy Unvaccinated children should be barred from attending school, says the Australian Medical Association federal president, who also wants groups spreading anti-vaccination messages to be punished.
Tough discipline on the school bus
JEWEL TOPSFIELD Last year, Michael Teggerth was told his 11-year-old daughter Caitlyn, who has epilepsy and developmental delays, was tied up by a school bus driver, allegedly for trying to damage the bus.
Restraints 'in breach' of child rights
Jewel Topsfield Children with disabilities being restrained, placed in solitary confinement, parents say.
How an experimental treatment saved Emily's life
Emily Whitehead is kind of a big deal. At age seven, she is the only child to have beaten back leukaemia with the help of a new treatment that turned her own immune cells into targeted cancer killers.
The saddest dilemma
Lisa Pryor examines how child protection staff try to meet overwhelming demand for their help.
Supermarkets forced to put kilojoule labels on ready-to-eat meals
MELISSA DAVEY Doughnuts, custard tarts, hot chickens and other ready-to-eat supermarket meals will now come with a label displaying their kilojoule content in the hope consumers will think twice before indulging.
Group linked to Scientologists targets schools
Vince Chadwick A group with links to the Church of Scientology is targeting Australian kindergartens, claiming that new health checks will put children at risk from psychotropic drugs.
The secret world of anorexics
Pro-anorexic communities are flourishing online, some offering sympathy to sufferers, others deadly encouragement, writes Gina McColl.
'Magic' room a dream come true for Kayla
Glen Humphries Six-year-old Kayla Chaseling got to visit a magical land yesterday - and it's just down the hall from her bedroom.
The game that took Jack's life: boy's 'hypoxic blackout' death
Angela Thompson Jack MacMillan drowned in a metre of water in his backyard, a short distance from his mother, who never let him or his sisters in the pool unsupervised.
Time to cut the cord
COSIMA MARRINER The so-called ''helicopter'' parent is becoming ubiquitous, with new research showing more than 90 per cent of school psychologists and counsellors are encountering over-involved parents.
Crash survivor counts her blessings
Georgina Mitchell, Gemma Khaicy When Claire Hill was given the Pope's blessing, her family didn't realise she would need it.
Jim Beam clothes for kids
AMY CORDEROY Jim Beam-branded clothing is being sold to children as young as four, in what public health experts have said is one of the most shocking examples of alcohol advertising they have seen.
Dental experts want labels on soft drinks
Rachel Wells Australian dental experts call for all soft drinks to carry warning labels declaring the risk of tooth decay.
'Sensitive Santa' trial a hit with children
Kate Hagan It's a far cry from lining up in a noisy shopping centre to have a photo taken with a strange man.
Deadly snakes hatch in toddler's wardrobe
MARISSA CALLIGEROS Toddler Kyle Cummings has kept redclaw crayfish, chickens and a pig as pets on his family's hectare property.
Cotton On Kids fined $1m for selling unsafe nightwear
LUCY BATTERSBY Cotton On Kids has been fined $1 million for selling children's nightwear that breached fire safety standards.
Whooping cough epidemic as state records highest numbers
AMY CORDEROY A whooping cough epidemic has led NSW to record its highest number of new cases of the disease.
Ruling postponed on boy's cancer treatment
Cole Moreton Sally Roberts ran away with her seven-year-old son Neon and took him into hiding in Britain in a desperate attempt to seize back control of the way he was being treated for brain cancer.
A lesson in taking it slow
DR JOANNA MCMILLAN Joanna McMillan explains why the way your kids eat their food is just as important as what they eat when it comes to helping the 600,000 Australian kids who are overweight or obese.
Children under nine self-harming
AMY CORDEROY Thousands of children - some younger than nine years old - have been admitted to hospitals around the country after intentionally harming themselves, a new report has found.
How to stop the stress
JUSTINE DAVIES Survey reveals that 52 percent of mothers stress about the health and wellbeing of their family but there are simple things you can do to stop stress becoming a serious problem.
Too much of a good thing
Zohra Aly With 19 million antibiotic prescriptions written annually in Australia we on the brink of an antibiotic resistance that is spawning the rise of 'superbugs'.
Cancer scam: mother shaved son's head and eyebrows
A UK mother who shaved her son's head and eyebrows to pretend he had cancer in an £85,000 ($130,300) benefit scam has been jailed.
Is it time to ban soft drinks?
DR JOANNA MCMILLAN Queensland Chief Health Officer, Dr Jeanette Young has called on parents to ban their kids from drinking soft drinks and fruit juice but is this approach too simplistic for such a complex problem?
Gillard acts on child sex abuse claims
Phillip Coorey, Josephine Tovey PM launches the most comprehensive inquiry into child sexual abuse in Australia's history.
Arthritis in children a different form of disease
Kate Hagan Targeted treatments may be needed for children with arthritis, Melbourne researchers say, after discovering that cartilage inside children's joints breaks down in a different way to adults.
$4 billion dental plan targets children, low-income families
EK team More than three million children will be eligible for government-subsidised dental care, in the same way they’re now entitled to Medicare-funded GP visits.
Dirty air takes breath away
Deborah Gough Pollution is giving otherwise healthy children asthma-like symptoms, potentially affecting their lung growth and function and casting doubt on whether national air quality standards are strong enough.
An open letter to our politicians, from a mum
Heike Fabig I doubt anyone not personally touched by disability can understand the level of despair many families descended into when the politicking began over the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Stressed parents, depressed kids
LAKSHMI SINGH Second-hand stress named as the major culprit in childhood depression.
Schoolboys to get Gardasil vaccine
Staff reporters In a world first, Australian schoolboys will be vaccinated against conditions such as genital warts, and some cancers, under a new immunisation program announced by the federal government.
Mother loses children after years of inventing illnesses
AMBER ROBINSON A NSW mother has been banned from contacting her four children until they are 18, after her son was admitted to hospital 115 times in three years.
Mental health checks for preschoolers
Jill Stark Three-year-olds will be screened for early signs of mental illness in a new federal government program that will consider behaviour such as sleeping with the light on, temper tantrums or extreme shyness as signs of possible psychological problems.
Suffering in silence
Rachel Browne If Deborah Smith could have taken her son Tyler to the doctor for an emotional wellbeing check at the age of three, it would have saved her a lot of worry. Tyler, now four, had been reluctant to interact with adults from a young age.
New craze almost fatal
Tim Barlass Parents at 43 schools from Sydney to the central coast have been sent a warning letter after a seven-year-old student became seriously ill from swallowing six magnets children use as fake piercings.
Study brings hope for childhood anxiety
Melissa Davey There was a time when 11-year-old Annaliese McGuirk was so crippled by anxiety that she would arrive at school in tears, the thought of being away from her parents and interacting with her classmates too much to bear.
Disease won't dash her dreams
Staff writers Six-year-old Kate Daly dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer and she is determined not to let an incurable disease stand in her way.
Invisible enemy a real worry
Maggie Dent Anxiety is the most significant mental health issue in childhood, and yet it frequently goes undetected and untreated. Maggie Dent tells you how you can beat this invisible enemy.
Toxic chemical found in school shoes
Natalie O'Brien A toxic chemical banned in Europe because it can cause burns, rashes and respiratory troubles has been found in imported children's school shoes sold by major retailers.
Antibiotic resistance risks
Mark Metherell Children with persistent ear infections and patients suffering recurring kidney disease are among the casualties of Australians' love affair with antibiotics.
Sleep skiing the next big thing
Learning to ski is hard work, especially when you're a kid. It was all too much for this little guy who was so exhausted he fell asleep while still standing on the slopes.
Parents say son should never have been born
Paul Bibby Debbie and Lawrence Waller love their 11-year-old son, Keeden, but they believe he should never have been born.
A mother's gift to her only child
Tim Barlass THREE years ago Charlie Munns was severely jaundiced, suffering a genetic liver disease and waiting in hospital for an organ donor.
Late programs keeping kids from a decent snooze
Rachel Browne REALITY television has Australian children hooked, but their sleep may be suffering for it.
Running to help Olivia's legacy
Heather Quinlan THE sight of a child having fun in a playground is enough to make Drummoyne businessman and philanthropist John Perkins smile.
Girl with broken leg misdiagnosed as 'drama queen'
Megan Levy The mother of a three-year-old girl who broke her leg in a backyard accident was told by a GP that her daughter was being "overdramatic" while a Melbourne hospital failed to diagnose her for three days, her family claims.
What to do when your child has to go to hospital
Staff writers When and what to tell your child about a hospital stay and what you'll need to pack.
Vaccine gets another clean bill of health
Gardiner Harris Yet another panel of scientists has found no evidence that the combination measles vaccine causes autism, though their report is unlikely to have any impact on the fierce debate about its safety.
Ain't it grand: when parenting goes better the second time around
Adele Horin Judy and Geoff Turner were in their mid-60s and had been married for 42 years when they became parents again - to the five-year-old granddaughter they had met only once.
Five-minute chill tips
Emma Grant-Williams Making the most of even the little moments before school or bed can go a long way towards soothing stresses. Here are five favourite 5-minute chill skills to help kids keep their cool.
The worst thing to come out of children's mouths
Courtney Trenwith Children as young as four are having all of their baby teeth removed because of poor oral health, dentists say.
Inspiring
The courageous little boy who inspired the mighty Tigers
Glenn Jackson Five-year-old Lleyton Giles's battle is a reminder of what's truly important.
Sick 5-year-old inspires Wests Tigers to victory
Daniel Lewis The Wests Tigers made a stunning 43-18 victory over the Panthers over the weekend, with inspiration from a surprising source - five-year-old Lleyton Giles.
Snotty kids don't attract sympathy
Kylie Orr Somehow I slipped through the cracks when they were handing out the sympathy gene. I must have been standing in the impatience line, because I sure got an overdose of that.
