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Rotavirus is a common cause of gastroenteritis (or ‘gastro’) in children. Symptoms include vomiting, fever and watery diarrhoea. It usually starts suddenly. Rotavirus mainly affects infants and young children up to 3 years of age. In cooler parts of Australia, rotavirus peaks in mid to late winter. In the northern tropical and arid parts of Australia, disease peaks are less predictable.Rotavirus gastroenteritis can cause dehydration because of the fluid lost through vomiting and diarrhoea.

Diseases that spread through mosquito bites are called mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquitoes can pick up germs from biting infected animals or infected humans, but in Australia most mosquitoes do not carry disease-causing germs.The mosquito-borne diseases reported most often in Australia are Ross River virus infection, Barmah Forest virus infection, dengue fever (in northern Queensland and the Torres Strait) and malaria (usually in people who have travelled overseas). Other mosquito-borne diseases such as Japanese encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis, Kunjin (West Nile) virus and Chikungunya virus are very rare.Mosquito-borne diseases cause various symptoms, which often include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and rash. Some can have rare but serious complications. For details on individual diseases, see healthdirect.

Oral diseases such as tooth decay and erosion are the most prevalent diseases of humankind and create a substantial economic and social burden. The cost of treating oral diseases and disorders in Australia is $10 billion per annum, with the full global economic impact of oral diseases in 2010 estimated at US$442 billion.1 NHMRC-funded researchers at the Melbourne Dental School and the University of Melbourne have developed new technologies that significantly improve dental health, and that are being used worldwide. 

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections result in a substantial burden of disease globally, particularly because they can cause cervical cancer.1 In Australia, cancers of the cervix and uterus were once leading causes of cancer-related deaths for women.2 NHMRC-funded researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) made an important contribution to preventing cervical cancer through their development of the technology that underpins the world’s first HPV vaccines, which are used worldwide today.

The purpose of the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes (the Code) is to promote the ethical, humane and responsible care and use of animals used for scientific purposes. It provides guidance for investigators, institutions, animals ethics committees, animal carers and all those involved in the care and use of animals for scientific purposes.The Code is adopted into legislation in all Australian states and territories. It is endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australian Research Council, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and Universities Australia. Compliance with the Code is a prerequisite for receipt of NHMRC funding.A web version of the Code is provided below.A PDF version of the Code, and guidance documents about implementation of Section 7: Cosmetic testing, are available under 'Downloads'

This diagram shows the overall complexity of Australia's health research, translation and impact (RTI) system. It details key functions and stakeholders of our national health system.

Infants are vulnerable to health challenges because of the relatively immature state of their bodies, including their nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Moreover, an infant may appear completely healthy but still have an underlying vulnerability that can make it difficult for that infant to cope with certain kinds of environmental stress. 

Cardiovascular disease is the world’s number one killer.On a national scale, coronary heart disease is the leading single cause of disease burden in Australia and causes 11% of all deaths, sparking a real need to make transformative improvements in cardiovascular health management for all Australians.

Worldwide, preterm birth (birth before 37 weeks) is the single largest cause of death in the newborn period and early childhood.1 In Australia each year, around 8% of babies (almost 26,000 in 2019)2 are born prematurely. A wide variety of health issues are associated with pre-term birth, including developmental delay, cerebral palsy, hearing and visual impairments, learning difficulties and psychiatric disorders. NHMRC-funded researchers at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and other Adelaide-based institutions have made major contributions to reducing the prevalence of premature births and improving the health of premature babies.

Picato® is a prescription gel that treats skin actinic keratosis (potentially pre-cancerous sunspots). The journey to develop this product began in the 1970s when Queensland researcher, Jim Aylward, became interested in a local farming story about the healing properties of the sap of the radium weed Euphorbia peplus (E. peplus) when applied to sunspots on the skin.

Globally, more than one billion people suffer from high blood pressure. The George Institute for Global Health (TGI) has trialled a new low-dose pill for hypertension that combines three medications in one (Triple Pill), which could change the way high blood pressure is treated around the world.

This section provides a collation of the case studies and scenarios provided in the Good institutional practice guide (the Guide).

NHMRC is committed to building and strengthening the capacity and capability amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health researchers. We do this through funding, events and educational opportunities. Read about some of the capacity and capability initiatives we are involved with.

Harnessing the power of research by combining genomics, precision medicine and public heath can help to address the long-term health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Over the past century and throughout the world, viral hepatitis emerged as a significant public health issue afflicting hundreds of millions of people and causing severe ill health, liver damage, cancer and death.1