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As of 1 July this year, the criteria for children to be considered ‘fully immunised’ will be expanded to include two children’s meningitis vaccines (meningococcal C and pneumococcal) to provide them with the maximum available protection against the disease. [ + ]

While five Aged Care Bills passed the Senate today (Wednesday) Leading Aged Services Australia (LASA) says the road to reform in age services has been rocky.  [ + ]

A new expert group has been established to advise the Federal Government on practical and strategic ways to improve Indigenous mental health and social and emotional wellbeing. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Advisory Group will be chaired by Prof Pat Dudgeon, recognised as Australia’s first Indigenous psychologist, and human rights campaigner Dr Tom Calma AO, the new chancellor of the University of Canberra. [ + ]

An international consortium of cardiac stem cell experts, including two Australians has been awarded a $6million USD grant to better understand the role of these cells in heart function and repair. [ + ]

Researchers at The University of Queensland have reprogrammed adult kidney cells to act as stems cells to repair damaged kidneys [ + ]

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has published new guides for health practitioners and the community about how notifications are managed in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (the National Scheme). [ + ]

In its inaugural report on The Council of Australian Government’s (COAG) National Partnership on Improving Public ºÚÁϳԹÏȺÍø’s the COAG Reform Council has found  no state or territory has met all targets for improving timely care in elective surgery and emergency departments. [ + ]

Please take this short quiz to see how your infection control measures at your workplace rate and receive a FREE mini guide to Hygienic Laundry Practice. [ + ]

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The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) is calling for the establishment of a National Centre for Disease Control to provide coordination of population health issues, particularly with regard to antimicrobial resistance. [ + ]

Medical research aimed at unlocking the secrets of the brain has been given a boost with the announcement of six new dementia research grants. [ + ]

A new study published in the Journal of Physiotherapy provides evidence to support the use of massage to control pain during labour. [ + ]

Associate Professor Anton Peleg has been presented the Commonwealth Health Minister’s Award for Excellence in Health and Medical research for his work on hospital-acquired infections and antibiotic resistance. [ + ]

A new study of twins at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and published in Genome Biology, has found rapid changes in the way our genes are activated occur in the first 18 months of life. [ + ]

While a recent report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicates participation in the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) reduced in 2010-2011, incidence rates and mortality rates have both halved since the NCSP was introduced in 1991. [ + ]