标签： Oceania

Australia’s federal government’s latest $224.3 million funding injection for dementia care has earned praise from leading dementia researchers and advocates, who simultaneously issued a clear call for equal, sustained investment in scientific research to tackle the growing public health crisis.

The funding package will expand critical support services across the nation: 20 new specialized dementia care programs will be launched, and a successful hospital transition initiative that helps older dementia patients move smoothly from acute hospital care to residential aged care will grow from 11 existing sites to 20. This new investment comes as part of a broader $3 billion national commitment to aged care with a targeted focus on dementia support.

Henry Brodaty, named Senior Australian of the Year and co-director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at UNSW Sydney, joined his co-director Perminder Sachdev in sharing their reaction to the budget announcement with media outlet news.com.au. Both leading neuroscience scholars described the funding as a welcome, long-overdue recognition of the growing scale and urgency of dementia across Australia.

“This $3bn investment in aged care – with a clear emphasis on dementia – is both timely and necessary as we face a rapidly growing number of Australians living with this condition,” the pair said in a joint statement. “Dementia is one of the greatest health, social and economic challenges of our time.”

While the pair welcomed the new care funding as an important foundational step, they stressed that this spending must be paired with ongoing, increased investment in dementia research. They emphasized that research is not a discretionary add-on to care efforts, but the core backbone of improving outcomes for people living with dementia.

“Research is how we improve diagnosis, develop new and more effective interventions, and build care systems that are both high-quality and sustainable,” the professors explained. “Without ongoing investment in research and evidence, we simply cannot deliver the outcomes Australians deserve. We already know that even relatively small advances can make a major difference.”

Brodaty is a key public figure leading the *Think Again* campaign, a joint initiative from news.com.au and *The Australian* launched in September 2025. The campaign works to challenge the widespread misconception that dementia only affects older people and is an inevitable part of aging, while also pushing for greater government investment and a more coordinated national approach to dementia care after diagnosis.

New national data underscores the urgency of the call for action. Latest figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, released by Dementia Australia, show 446,500 Australians currently live with dementia, marking an increase of 13,500 new cases over the past year. Projections indicate that this number will more than double to nearly 1 million people by 2065, placing massive strain on national health and care systems.

The data also confirms that dementia is not exclusively a condition of older age: almost 30,000 Australians under the age of 65 live with young-onset dementia, and roughly 1,500 children are living with childhood dementia.

The CHeBA co-directors pointed to a major potential public health gain that research could unlock: delaying the onset of dementia by just 12 months could cut national prevalence by roughly 10%, delivering wide-ranging benefits for patients, their families, informal carers, and the entire health system. This kind of progress is only achievable through robust, well-funded research that is translated into real-world clinical and care practice, they said.

“If Australia is serious about addressing dementia, then research must remain central to our national response – embedded across prevention, diagnosis and care,” the pair said. “With the right investment, we have the opportunity not only to improve how we care for people living with dementia, but to lead the world in reducing its impact across the entire care pathway.”

In the wake of a deadly hantavirus outbreak that killed three passengers on the cruise ship MV Hondius and triggered a multinational evacuation off Spain’s Canary Islands, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that containment efforts are far from complete. The rare Andes variant of hantavirus — which can spread between humans and has no licensed vaccine or targeted cure — has sparked global unease after emerging on the Atlantic cruise, but public health leaders have moved quickly to dismiss comparisons to the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, noting the current global risk remains low.

Speaking at a joint press briefing with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid on Tuesday, following his oversight of the evacuation operation, Tedros emphasized that there is currently no evidence to suggest a large-scale global outbreak is imminent. “But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks,” he added. As of the latest official counts compiled by Agence France-Presse, seven confirmed cases and one probable case remain among surviving passengers and crew members on the vessel, with affected individuals holding citizenship from six nations: the United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

More than 120 passengers and crew members were repatriated from the Canary Islands over Sunday and Monday, with each country implementing its own public health measures aligned with WHO guidance. The UN health body’s recommendations call for a 42-day quarantine and continuous monitoring for high-risk contacts, matching the virus’s maximum six-week incubation period. Tedros urged all nations receiving evacuees to adhere to the organization’s guidance, while acknowledging that countries retain full authority to set their own public health protocols. On Tuesday, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu added his voice to the conversation, calling for tighter coordination of health safety rules across the European Union to manage the situation.

The MV Hondius outbreak has already created unexpected diplomatic strains, as nations negotiated over responsibility for hosting and treating the infected vessel. Initially, Cape Verde refused entry to the cruise ship, which was forced to anchor off the capital Praia while three critically ill patients were airlifted to Europe last week. Spain ultimately agreed to allow the vessel to anchor off the Canary Islands to complete the full evacuation of all passengers and crew, but the regional government of the Atlantic archipelago strongly pushed back against the decision. Defending his administration’s choice to accept the ship, Sanchez stressed that “the world does not need more selfishness or more fear. What it needs are countries that show solidarity and want to step forward.”

After the evacuation wrapped up, the MV Hondius departed Tenerife on Monday with only a minimal skeleton crew on board. It is scheduled to arrive in the Netherlands, its home country, this Sunday, where it will undergo full professional disinfection. Hantavirus is typically transmitted to humans through contact with the urine, feces, and saliva of infected rodents, and the Andes variant is endemic to parts of South America. The MV Hondius began its transatlantic cruise from Argentina on April 1, bound for Cape Verde before the outbreak was detected.

Public health officials in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, have issued a broad public health warning after a confirmed case of highly contagious measles was detected in an international traveller returning from a region with ongoing outbreaks. The case, which was confirmed earlier this week, has already been linked to dozens of exposure sites across greater Sydney, ranging from popular retail and community hubs to medical facilities and an international flight.

NSW Health confirmed the infected individual had recently travelled through South and Southeast Asia, a region where health officials are currently reporting persistent measles outbreaks. The traveller remained infectious while moving through multiple NSW communities, leading authorities to publish an ever-expanding list of exposure locations that is updated regularly as contact tracing work progresses.

Among the sites identified so far are well-trafficked locations including 7-Eleven Emerald Hills, Southgate Shopping Centre in Sylvania, Caringbah Auto Repairs and Service, Philter Brewery in Marrickville, as well as multiple medical centres, retail outlets, and major transport hubs across western, southern, and inner Sydney. A China Airlines flight travelling from Taipei to Sydney, which arrived at Sydney Airport on April 26, has also been listed as an exposure site.

Officials were quick to clarify that the identified venues no longer carry an ongoing risk of transmission, but have issued urgent guidance for anyone who visited these locations during the active exposure windows to monitor their health closely for 18 days following potential contact. As of the latest update, 48 confirmed measles cases have been recorded in NSW since the start of 2026, leaving public health teams warning that the risk of further community spread remains significantly elevated.

Dr Alvis Zibran, a public health staff specialist with the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, emphasized that ongoing vigilance is critical, especially for individuals who may have visited one of the listed exposure sites. “If you develop symptoms and have been at one of the locations during the specified times, contact your doctor or local health service, including an emergency department,” Dr Zibran advised. “Be sure to call ahead before you arrive to let providers know you may have been exposed to measles, that way you won’t wait in shared waiting rooms with other patients, and always wear a mask during your visit.”

Dr Zibran outlined the key symptoms of measles that the public should watch for: initial symptoms typically include fever, irritated sore eyes, runny nose, and a cough, with a distinctive red, blotchy rash developing three to four days after symptoms first appear. The rash usually starts on the head and face before spreading outward to the rest of the body. Even people who have not visited any of the identified exposure sites should consider testing if they develop these classic symptoms, he added.

Unlike many common infectious diseases, measles can take up to 18 days from the time of exposure for symptoms to emerge, meaning people who may have been exposed need to monitor their health for the full incubation window. The virus spreads easily through respiratory droplets that enter the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, making highly contagious in crowded indoor spaces.

In addition to guidance for people who may have been exposed, public health officials are urging all community members to review their vaccination status to confirm they are protected. “One of the most important messages we can share right now is that people need to ensure their measles vaccinations are up to date,” Dr Zibran said. “Crucially, the measles vaccine can even prevent infection after exposure if it is administered quickly enough.”

Officials recommend that anyone born after 1965 confirm they have received two full doses of the measles vaccine. This check is especially critical before planning any international travel, as active measles outbreaks are currently circulating in multiple regions across the globe. In NSW, the combined measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is provided free of charge as part of the routine childhood immunization schedule, with doses given at 12 months and 18 months of age. The vaccine is also available free of charge to any person born after 1965 who has not yet received two doses.

For children under 12 months of age who are travelling internationally, an additional early dose of the vaccine can be given as early as six months of age, though families are advised to consult with a medical provider before travel. For people who are unsure of their vaccination history, health authorities confirm that receiving an extra dose of MMR is completely safe, and eligible age groups can access the vaccine through general practitioners and participating pharmacies across the state.