Keep It Simple

Keep It Simple

Winter is coming in the southern hemisphere. In fact, it has arrived early in some parts with record cold, rain and even snow in May.  It will come as a surprise to experts, bureaucrats, and politicians (but not regular readers here) that in winter there are an...
Truth In Medicine

Truth In Medicine

Fairly quietly the effectiveness of this year’s flu vaccine in different ages groups has been released. Previously, Australis’s chief medical officer Professor Brendan Murphy, said this season’s vaccine, selected by the WHO, gave “moderate to good”...
Cold Facts

Cold Facts

If you make the same prediction often enough in a recurring event, there is a likelihood that one time you will be right. This is not a reflection on cleverness. Each year we get a prediction that the upcoming flu season will be terrible, possibly the worst ever. Most...
“Unsettled Science”

“Unsettled Science”

There is an old adage that the only certainty is change. Last week a new advisory, published in the BMJ, came out saying we do not need to finish a course of antibiotics. Interestingly one of the reasons for this is a compete reverse of the previous view. It was...
Being Sorry Rather Than Safe

Being Sorry Rather Than Safe

It is winter in the southern hemisphere and with this comes the usual winter illnesses. The vast majority of these are caused by viruses and do not need antibiotics. Yet it seems that many people still want antibiotics for cold and flu like illnesses and many doctors...