AMSA Advocates
Election Time! AMSA Global Health’s dynamic Vice Chair External is Matt Paltridge. This month he catches us up to speed on AMSA’s political advocacy. This month AMSA Global Health has been busy advocating for a range of health issues in the lead-up to the election. Crossing Borders for Health has…
Date night with the IFMSA
A week long dance with global health, diverse culture and sleep deprivation. Does it get any better than this? Let me briefly orientate you – the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) is a federation with 119 member countries. Twice a year they get together to debate policy, discuss…
Intimate Partner Violence and the Role of Healthcare Professionals
Imagine a situation where you are extremely tired at work and want nothing more than to freshen up, sit in your spot, put your feet up and relax watching your favourite Star Trek episodes with your significant other, but you would rather not leave the office at all because every…
Non-Communicable Diseases in Kenya
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) stand as one of the world’s most challenging health, social and economic issues today, nowhere more so than Kenya.
The Man Behind Half of our Vaccines
A look into the life of Professor Maurice Hilleman, the man behind half of our vaccines
How to set up a GHG in a rural town
This year marks an incredible five years since the start of ASPIRE. I’m sure that you, like almost everyone who hears about UNE for the first time, is surprised by its existence.
Stay in the loop!
We're almost at the 1,500 mark! 😮🎉🌏
If you haven't already, please show your support for refugee and asylum seeker health by signing AMSA Crossing Borders' open letter to save the Medevac Bill - don't let your voice go unheard on this!
Sign here: bit.ly/2W4W2fw
Below is an open letter from all Australian Medical Students to Prime Minister Scott Morrison in support of the "Medevac Bill".
As future doctors, we are concerned with the health of all Australians as well as those who seek Australia's protection. The medevac bill was a step in the right direction to ensuring those under our care receive appropriate medical treatment when sick.
However, the Government is now looking at reversing the bill. This will impact the lives of hundreds of people and contravenes the ethical principles that underpin the medical profession.
Here is your chance to have your voice heard. Join us in standing up for the right of refugees and asylum seekers to access adequate healthcare.
Add your name to our open letter.
docs.google.com/forms/d/1DXWUbEn5gEljQ6m4-VugrebdkqjMsUaOE4lozJ1TJgw/viewform?edit_requested=true
“Some of the challenges we face are significant—but they are not insurmountable. I truly believe that by embracing new possibilities, and acting today to address the problems of tomorrow, we can turn challenges into shared opportunities.” - Dr Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, WPRO70
Our Chair, Helena Qian, is currently in Manila, Philippines for the 70th WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific and met with Australia’s representative, Leila Jordan (pictured), Director, International Engagement: Healthier Populations, Department of Health to discuss avenues for increased medical students engagement in the Western Pacific, WHO Executive Board Meeting and World Health Assembly. Watch this space for further developments re meaningful medical student engagement with national priorities and international representation.
For more information on our regional priorities, read the White Paper here: www.who.int/docs/default-source/inaugural-who-partners-forum/white-paper.pdf?sfvrsn=86afc1fb_0
It is also coincidentally World Mental Health Day today and AMSA Global Health wishes you all a day of self care and gently remind you that it’s okay to not be okay. Mental illness is not a personal failure. You matter.
We have some incredible news!
You might remember a few months ago, when we shared the fundraising page for Against Our Oath - an independent documentary exploring the ethical challenges between doctors, their refugee patients, and the Australian government. It even features our very own AMSA Crossing Borders.
We're proud to share that it reached its funding goal - and after four years in development, it premieres next Friday!
Screenings are taking place around Australia throughout October, and you can find a showing near you here: www.againstouroath.com/screening-details/
Watch the trailer: vimeo.com/362417256
Welcome to Out of the Loop!
The date is November 21st, 2016. A blustering thunderstorm has just passed through Melbourne, and all at once, thousands of Victorians are finding it difficult to breathe
In the 24 hours that followed, a wave of almost 500 asthma-related hospital admissions overwhelmed the city’s hospitals and ambulances. 72% had never had asthma before. Ten people died.
What happened is known as a thunderstorm asthma event. While the 2016 epidemic was the largest to date, similar events have been reported across Australian since 1987. But what is it about thunderstorms that raises the risk of asthma so drastically? And how can it affect people without any history of the disease?
Let’s start with some anatomy and meteorology.
The upper respiratory tract is well-equipped to filter out foreign airborne particles. Typically, anything larger than 10 microns gets lodged in the nose and throat, rather than making its way down to the lung tissue. This includes grass pollen, which is usually 30 to 50 microns. If you have hay fever, this is why you’ll get an itchy throat or runny nose, but it will rarely affect your breathing.
But just before a thunderstorm, strong winds and moist air can disrupt the structural integrity of the pollen grains, sheering them into particles as small as 2.5 microns - small enough to reach the lungs. If you’re already sensitive to pollen, this puts you at high risk of having your first ever asthma attack.
Other factors can exacerbate the situation further. Storm winds can carry pollen from regional farmlands all the way to population centres and create an extremely high pollen count. Sudden temperature drops can also trap cool, pollen-filled air at ground level.
If these circumstances align and are severe enough, they might just be enough to cause a thunderstorm asthma event.
Thunderstorm asthma is managed just like any other asthma attack, but the biggest public health risk comes from its potential to affect people with no prior history of asthma, with no medication or asthma management plan. So, with the beginning of the pollen season, make sure to keep an eye on the pollen count, and your antihistamines and inhalers handy!
⚠️⚠️ IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: We are extending the DUE DATE for our #CHANGETHEFADSSTOPTHEADS competition to Sunday the 13th of October midnight so you've still got just under TWO WEEKS to submit your entries!
✅Read our previous posts on details for entering
✅SUBMIT your parody ad!