The Health News – 21 July 2016

Overview:
• The Council On The Ageing (COTA) said some of its members raised concerns after SA Ambulance announced it would no longer cover its members for any ambulance transport they required when interstate. After a public backlash, SA Ambulance reviewed its insurance plans and said it would again offer interstate coverage, but the annual premium would be $15 more for an individual or $30 more for family cover.

• Professor Julio Licinio of the Department of Psychiatry at Flinders University and colleagues argue antidepressants could have a delayed effect on the weight of people who eat high fat diets. In a review paper published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, Professor Licinio and colleagues point to animal studies carried out by his team in recent years that suggest there is a link between obesity, high fat diets and prior exposure to the ingredients of Prozac.

• In Indonesia doctors and nurses are struggling to keep up with the demand as children get re-inoculated after a fake vaccine scandal shocked the nation.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the  21st of July 2016. Read by Rebecca Foster. Health News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-20/opt-in-sa-ambulance-interstate-cover-cota-concerns/7643392

SA Ambulance must clearly notify customers about the latest changes affecting their interstate coverage to ensure there is no confusion, the Council On The Ageing (COTA) has said.

The organisation said some of its members raised concerns after SA Ambulance announced it would no longer cover its members for any ambulance transport they required when interstate.

After a public backlash, SA Ambulance reviewed its insurance plans and said it would again offer interstate coverage, but the annual premium would be $15 more for an individual or $30 more for family cover.

SA Ambulance chief executive Jason Killens said the service had listened to the community’s feedback and made changes.

“We will continue to offer interstate cover across Australia for a small additional premium for members so that they have flexibility in the cover that is provided for them,” he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-20/call-for-more-research-into-anti-depressants-and-obesity-link/7387666

Mounting evidence suggests the link between popular antidepressants and obesity should be investigated more closely, Australian researchers say.

Professor Julio Licinio of the Department of Psychiatry at Flinders University and colleagues argue antidepressants could have a delayed effect on the weight of people who eat high fat diets.

“This is very worrisome because the number of people who have been exposed to antidepressants in the general population is immense,” Professor Licinio said.

Professor Licinio stressed people should not go off medications when they needed them.

“I think if you need them you should take them because with depression the risk of suicide is worse,” he said.

But, he said, if further evidence supported the link between exposure to certain classes of antidepressants and weight gain later in life, doctors should inform patients and advise extra caution against a high fat diet.

Other experts said it was too soon to change clinical practice, but there was a need for further research into the longer-term impacts of antidepressants, including their effect on obesity.

Depression has long been linked to weight gain and vice versa, Professor Licinio said.

In addition, there has been debate over the role of antidepressants in weight gain, with some medications linked to weight gain, and others not.

In a review paper published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, Professor Licinio and colleagues point to animal studies carried out by his team in recent years that suggest there is a link between obesity, high fat diets and prior exposure to …the ingredient[s] of Prozac…

He is currently carrying out a five-year human study testing this hypothesis and urged other researchers to follow suit.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-20/fake-vaccine-scandal-rocks-indonesia/7642850

A small medical clinic in eastern Jakarta is bursting at the seams.

The doctors and nurses are struggling to keep up with the demand, and babies cry as their parents line the humid corridors.

They endure a long wait to have their children re-inoculated after a fake vaccine scandal shocked the nation.

In Indonesia there are calls for the death penalty to apply to those convicted of being involved in the criminal syndicate police say operated for 13 years but only came to the public’s attention late last month.

The doctors, nurses and suppliers involved passed off saline solution, in some cases mixed with antibiotics, as vaccinations including for hepatitis C, hepatitis A, measles, tetanus and whooping cough, in a nation where the diseases are prevalent.

The vaccinations were sold as a superior imported product, which came with a much higher price.

Indonesian reports suggest one couple involved were making the equivalent of $10,000 a week through the illegal activity.