Health Professionals August 2018

HEALTH NEWS

PROFESSIONALS Brought to you by The Adviser

Encouraging motivation to stay fit and healthy It can be hard to stay motivated and active throughout the winter months, but local residents, Steph Boyle and Mathieu Ryan help to encourage each other to continue their fitness regime.

Photo: David Lee.

The Adviser. Australia No. 1:1416 Wednesday, August 1, 2018 – Page 13

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HEALTH

PROFESSIONALS Stay fit and healthy

By Lucie Leonardi IF you want to be sure to stay healthy and fit during the colder winter months, just follow some simple tips. Your body will thank you.

during the winter months

DRINK ENOUGH OF WATER EVERY DAY: It’s more important than ever to consume at least two litres of water every day for your health.

EAT A HEALTHY DIET: Full of fresh fruits and vegetables and minimal amounts of meats is a way to keep your body clean and healthy. Eliminate sugar, it will compromise your immune system.

EXERCISE REGULARLY: Even if only for walking 30 minutes a day.

WASH YOUR HANDS: It is the best way to keep the bacteria and viruses away from you.

GET ENOUGH SLEEP: Make sure you get between six and eight hours of sleep every night. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your body is extremely vulnerable to illness.

Greater Shepparton’s health snapshot ACCOR DI NG to statistics gathered through VicHealth’s Indicators Survey, the general wellbeing of Greater Shepparton residents were reported as being similar to the wellbeing of all Victorians.

Residents gave their wellbeing an average score of 77.6 out of 100, compared with the Victorian average of 77.3.

Life satisfaction measures how people evaluate their life as a whole. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from zero to 10, residents of Greater

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Shepparton reported an average score of 8.0. This is similar to the Victorian life satisfaction average score of 7.8.

Just over nine out of 10 (92.8 percent) Greater Shepparton residents agreed that they felt safe walking alone during the day, which is similar to the Victorian estimate (92.5 percent). Just over half (50.6 percent) of Greater Shepparton residents agreed that they felt safe walking alone in their local area after dark, which is similar to the Victorian estimate (55.1 percent).

Caring for Our Community

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Locals offered treatment option for Hep C FROM August 1, the 66,290 Shepparton residents living with untreated hepatitis C will have a new, once-daily, eight-week treatment option available to them.

The PBS listing of MAVIRET is part of the Federal Government’s $1B investment in new direct-acting antiviral (DAAs) treatments to help reach the World Health Organisation

target of hepatitis C elimination by 2030.

The prevalence of chronic hepatitis in Shepparton is well above the national average. In Geelong, around 1.44 percent of the suburb’s population is diagnosed with hepatitis C and treatment uptake has been relatively low with only 108 people treated as at February 2017, well under 20 percent.

T here a re a n e s t i m at e d 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 Australians living with hepatitis C. Left untreated, hepatitis C can cause cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Recent reports suggest treatment initiations have dropped to less than half the original monthly uptake, with uptake also generally lower in areas of estimated high prevalence.

Medical experts are urging people diagnosed with hepatitis C to come forward and talk to their GP about treatment options.

How to stay away from the influenza virus

By Lucie Leonardi THE Influenza virus, or flu, is a viral infection and is highly contagious. It spreads easily from person to person during the winter months.

Almost 50,000 people were contaminated by the influenza virus during 2017 in Victoria. Young children and old people in particular, need to be protected, as the flu in these groups of people can cause serious illness which can lead to death. Is estimated that the influenza virus causes 3,000 deaths in Australia each year.

When someone is infected, the symptoms usually appear between one and three days later. Fever, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain and tiredness are the first and most commons symptoms of the influenza virus.

For getting over the flu, doctors advise to stay warm in bed, have a rest, drink a lot of water and take the prescribed antiviral medication.

But how do you reduce the risk of infection? Vaccination is the best way to avoid the winter flu. Vaccination builds immunity against the virus and prevents transmission to other people. It’s the easiest way to protect the community against an epidemic. Vaccination is required every year, because the virus can be different every year. For staying safe, it’s also advised to wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and do not share linen, eating utensils or dishes.

KNOW THE FLU… With the winter cold well and truly set in, it’s important for people to know what the influenza virus is, how to treat it and how to prevent it Photo: Supplied.

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