19 April 2022 | NACCHO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health News [Video]

• Eye treatment could reduce vision loss
• Help stop the flu in 2022
• Telehealth’s role in modern health care
• COVID-19 oral treatment on PBS
• AIHW releases mental health papers
• Aged and dementia care scholarships
• $25m to fix ‘dehumanising’ Banksia Hill conditions
• New process for job advertising
• Save the Date – Primary Care COVID-19 Update

Image in the feature tile is from the Brian Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) website.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience three times more vision loss than non-Indigenous people, creating a concerning gap for vision. Associate Professor Hessom Razavi from The University of WA explains that much of this is due to diabetic macular oedema (DMO).  Macular oedema blurs the central vision, diminishing the ability to recognise people’s faces, to drive and work, and perform other essential tasks. DMO affects around 23,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia with most of them of working age.

The good news is DMO is treatable, with medications known as anti-VEGF agents. A world-first clinical trail has …