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Welcome to the 7th issue of the HealthInsite Newsletter. Happy New Year!!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. We're all back at work and looking forward to a busy year ahead.
A number of health issues are recognised in the coming month including World Cancer Day on 4 February, and Australian Organ Donor Awareness week starting on 22 February. This newsletter will focus on the relevant resources that HealthInsite has on these issues. We'll also look at sexual health.
In response to your feedback, the newsletter is now available in two formats. The text only version comes to you as an email with links to relevant HealthInsite resources. It can be read by any email system but it's limited to text and cannot display images. You can now access a web-based version of the newsletter which includes images and a more colourful format. The content is the same but you may find it a bit more interesting to view. To access the web version just go to:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/content/newsletters/maillist_ind.cfm?id=9
As always, please feel free to let us know if you have any problems or if you have any suggestions for future editions, by sending an email to:
mailto:healthinsite.feedback@health.gov.au
IN THIS ISSUE Volume 1, Issue 7
Cancer Resources
The very word 'cancer' strikes fear into the hearts of most people. Very few families have been unaffected by it in some way - family members, friends, school or work colleagues. Cancer is not one disease but many, including lung, breast, colon, skin, cervical and prostate cancer. Some cancers can be prevented by avoiding risk factors; for others, early detection is the best way to improve the odds of survival.(ref: Better Health Channel).
World Cancer Day is on 4 February this year with International Childhood Cancer Day 2004 on 15 February. These days are intended to raise awareness of cancer issues and to help us all understand the importance of early diagnosis, treatment and risk factors.
According to the Cancer Council of Australia more than half of all cancers diagnosed in Australia can now be successfully treated. Nevertheless, cancer is still the number one killer of Australian men and women. One in three men and one in four women will be directly affected by cancer before the age of 75. Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Australia – responsible for more than 35,000 deaths.
This year, more than 85,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Australia. An additional 370,000 cases of non-melanocytic skin cancer will also be detected. The good news is that the survival rate for many common cancers has increased by more than 30 per cent in the past two decades. Organisations around Australia may be planning events to coincide with World Cancer Day. Keep your eyes and ears open - perhaps check in your community paper, or with local cancer groups.
If you have questions about cancer you may like to contact theCancer Helpline on 13 11 20 (a local call from anywhere in Australia) between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Some states have extended hours, some have health professionals on staff, and some have multilingual services.
The HealthInsite team has created a large number of topic pages covering cancer in all its varieties including the following:
Cancer
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Cancer
Types of Cancer
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Types_of_Cancer
Living with Cancer
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Living_with_Cancer
Cancer Statistics
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Cancer_Statistics
Cancer Support Services
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Cancer_Support_Services
Many of our partners also deal specifically with cancer, including:
Australian Prostate Cancer Collaboration
http://www.prostatehealth.org.au/index.html
The Cancer Council Australia
http://www.cancer.org.au/
The Cancer Council Victoria
http://www.cancervic.org.au/index.htm
National Breast Cancer Centre
http://www.nbcc.org.au/
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
http://www.petermac.org/
Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre
http://www.rah.sa.gov.au/cancer/cancer.php
Organ Donation
Organ donation is a very sensitive issue and you may have strong feelings either for or against becoming a donor - either way it's very important to let those close to you know what your views are. Unfortunately when someone dies, they may not have told their family whether they are in favour of organ donation. This leaves the family with a difficult decision when they are already dealing with grief over the loss of someone they love.
For many people suffering a serious illness, organ donation may be their only hope of survival. More than 30,000 Australians have received transplants in the last sixty years, and improved survival rates now mean that most recipients of organs or tissue can look forward to many years of productive life.
Launched three years ago, the Australian Organ Donor Register (the Donor Register) is the national organ and tissue donor register for transplantation. It records people's intentions on organ and tissue donation and can be accessed by authorised medical personnel (who have signed confidentiality agreements) anywhere in Australia seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.
In the event of your death, information about your wish can be obtained from the Donor Register and provided to your family. Being on the Donor Register is your guarantee that your intentions regarding organ and tissue donation are recorded and accessible.
Since its launch, 4.7 million people have signed on. One donor can save or benefit up to 10 people. Australia has a shortage of donors and a shortage of donations.
In 2002, there were 730 successful organ transplants from just 206 organ donors. In the same year, 107 people died waiting for an organ donation.
At any given time, there are up to 1800 people waiting for an organ donation. At present, up to half the people waiting for a heart, heart-lung or liver transplant die before an organ becomes available.
Anyone can choose to donate organs and tissue, irrespective of age. The Donor Register offers people a simple way of recording their readiness to donate but it is still important to discuss any decision with family or next of kin. Experience shows that many potential donations don’t happen because relatives don’t know people’s intentions.
We've discussed organ donation in our family. Two of my teenage children are enthusiastically in favour, one is definitely opposed, the other hasn't made a decision either way. They are all aware of my views and we've all agreed that if a tragedy should occur and organ donation is an option, we will support each other's wishes.
HealthInsite has lots of information about organ donation and transplantation. The easiest way to find it is to visit the following two topic pages:
Organ Donation topic page at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Organ_donation
Transplant topic page at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Transplants
If you would like to register to become an organ donor you can go straight to the Australian Organ Donation Registration page at:
https://www2.hic.gov.au/pextj/aodr/Pages/DonorRegistration.jsp#top
You may also like to visit Operation Angel run by Kidney Health Australia at:
 http://www.kidney.org.au/operation_angel/index.html
Sexual Health - Not just safe sex
When we think of sexual health the subjects that often spring to mind are teenage sex, unwanted pregnancies, AIDS or HIV. But sexual health includes a much broader range of topics from safe sex, sexuality, sexual development, sex education, sexually transmitted diseases, through to family planning and fertility, sexual abuse and sex disorders. One way or another it's a topic that affects us throughout life.
The relevant topic pages on HealthInsite include:
Sexuality
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Sexuality
Family Planning and Fertility
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Family_Planning_and_Fertility
Puberty
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Puberty
Safe Sex
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Safe_Sex
Sexual Abuse and Assault
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Sexual_Abuse_and_Assault
Sexual Health for Men
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Sexual_Health_for_Men
Sexual Health for Women
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Sexual_Health_for_Women
Sexually Transmitted Infections (also known as sexually transmitted diseases)
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Sexually_Transmitted_Infections
A number of our partners have resources on sexual health, including Better Health Channel and My Dr. Several Partners have a particular focus on sexual health including:
Jean Hailes Foundation at
http://www.jeanhailes.org.au/
Andrology Australia at
http://www.andrologyaustralia.org/default.asp
Child and Youth Heath SA at
http://www.cyh.com/
Inspire Foundation at
http://www.reachout.com.au/home.asp
Women's Health Queensland Wide Inc at
http://www.womhealth.org.au/
Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) at
http://www.afao.org.au/
Your Feedback - Finding a specialist
One of our users emailed us asking where she might find a specialist with expertise in dealing with a specific form of cancer.
Following diagnosis, your GP may give you a list of specialists in your area who can manage your treatment but the Cancer Council of Australia also has a 'find a specialist' section which provides links to lists created and maintained by specialist medical colleges or societies to help you quickly and easily access details of specialists and sub-specialists. Look at:
http://www.cancer.org.au/content.cfm?randid=780006
The Cancer Council of Australia has a wide range of very useful practical information about cancer. Look at:
http://www.cancer.org.au/
Australian Organ Donor Awareness
22 February 2004
Organ donation is one of the greatest gifts one human can give another.
To find out more go to the Australian Organ Donation Register at:
http://www.hic.gov.au/yourhealth/our_services/aaodr.htm
Partner Spotlight - Australian Indigenous InfoNet
Every month we will include a brief overview of one of our information partners. This month we look at the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet . This is a fantastic site dedicated to providing up-to-date knowledge and information to people interested in the health of Indigenous Australians. The site makes published, unpublished and specially-developed material about Indigenous health, freely accessible to policy makers, service providers, researchers, students and the general community.
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet takes a broad view of Indigenous health which includes not just the physical wellbeing of an individual, but the social, emotional, and cultural wellbeing of the whole community in which each individual is able to achieve their full potential as a human being thereby bringing about the total wellbeing of their community. As a result, they cover a wide range of issues of relevance to Indigenous health, many of which lie outside the direct responsibility of the health sector. These include cultural, social, historical and economic issues, as well as those relating to the physical environment.
The Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet also works directly with Indigenous people to improve their use of the Internet, and assists Indigenous and other relevant agencies in making their information accessible.
For more information please visit the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet at:
http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/
Latest Resources
The HealthInsite team regularly adds new items to the database including new information partners, new topic pages and news items. You can find a list of new and updated material added to the database in the past month at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/search/newsletter_search.cfm?id=9
Hot Tip - Fun Stuff
Did you know that HealthInsite has a 'quiz' page? It includes all sorts of interactive health activities from questionnaires, quizzes and games to self-assessment tools. For example, on a wide range of issues including:
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Are you a good time manager?
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How well do you sleep?
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What is your risk of skin cancer?
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Do you know which exercise can be harmful?
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Problem solving styles (interactive game to help children learn about managing conflict)
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Which Food? quiz (food quiz for children) and many more...
Take a look, test your knowledge, or do a quick self-assessment at:
http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Interactive_Health_Activities
What's on next month?
Next month we'll take a look at resources for women, and asthma.
That's it for now.
from all of us at HealthInsite.
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