- Understanding mob’s vax hesitancy
- Why you need a vaccine booster
- Support for First Nations Voice to Parliament
- Prof Behrendt wins Human Rights Medal
- Highest rate of leukaemia virus in the world
- Type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal girls research
- Health journal research assistant opportunity
- New process for job advertising
- Save the Date
PLEASE NOTE: the last date for this publication this year is Friday 15 December 2021 – the publication will start again in the new year from 18 January 2022.
Photograph in feature tile from Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services, The Guardian.
Understanding mob’s vax hesitancy
Understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Aboriginal communities is proving vital in the push to increase vaccination rates. As of 1 December 2021, 57.5% f the Aboriginal population in WA had received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination and 39.4% had received both doses. This is compared to 86.7% of the general population across the state having had one COVID-19 jab and 76.4% having also had their second.
Yamatji Noongar woman Sharon Wood-Kenney, who has been part of a team holding information sessions with Indigenous people in Perth about vaccinations, said many of the sessions were spent discussing why people did not want to get vaccinated. “We run our sessions to myth-bust, to talk about what’s going on, to answer questions — I’m finding a lot of people not really sure about what the facts are about COVID,” she said.
Ms Wood-Kenney said coming from a family that was affected by the Stolen Generation, she understood hesitancy about trusting the Government, but stressed the advice and information were coming from health experts With restrictions on the State border set to be removed when 90% of West Australians are vaccinated, community transmission of the virus is inevitable, according to modelling done by the WA Health Department.
To view the National Indigenous Times article in full click here.
Cherbourg resident Colin Morgan received his COVID vaccine out the front of his home. Photo: Georgie Hewson, ABC Southern QLD, Image source : ABC News.
Why you need a vaccine booster
If it’s been six months since you got the second COVID vaccine dose, it’s time to book in for your booster shot. This will provide additional protection against COVID, including the new Omicron variant. While the evidence is still emerging, preliminary data suggests a Pfizer booster might give the same protection against Omicron as double-dose vaccination did for the original strain.
When you get your first dose of COVID vaccine, your body produces an immune response against a part of the virus called the spike protein. If you’re exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, your immune system can recognise and fight the virus quickly. The immune response to a single dose of COVID vaccine is generally short-lived. So a second dose is needed to have a stronger and longer-lasting response. Over time, the amount of antibodies in your body decreases – this is referred to as waning immunity.
If the immune response wanes below the level needed for protection against COVID – the “protective threshold” – your immune system may not be able to prevent infection when exposed to the virus.
To view The Conversation article in full click here.
Image source: NIH Director’s Blog.
Support for First Nations Voice to Parliament
On International Human Rights Day, the Law Council of Australia has restated its unwavering support for a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution, as called for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the recommendations of the Referendum Council. “Constitutional recognition is vital to protect the rights and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Law Council of Australia President, Dr Jacoba Brasch QC said.
A First Nations Voice, constitutionally enshrined, is a manifestation of the right to self-determination, which, at a minimum, entails the entitlement of peoples to have control over their destiny and to be treated respectfully. This includes peoples being free to pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
To view the Law Council of Australia’s media release in full click here.
According to research undertaken by the Australian National University support for legal reform on Indigenous issues is not only high, it’s also durable. Public attitudes have shifted to such an extent in the last 40 years, there is little reason to think a constitutionally enshrined Voice wouldn’t pass a referendum if it was held today.
To view The Conversation article in full click here.
Image source: The Guardian.
Prof Behrendt wins Human Rights Medal
Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt AO is a Eualeyai and Kamillaroi woman and the Director of Research at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Professor Behrendt holds the UTS inaugural Chair in Indigenous Research. Her contribution to Indigenous education and research has been widely recognised.
In 2009 she was named NAIDOC Person of the Year for her advocacy for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In 2011 she was the NSW State recipient Australian of the Year. This Award noted that Professor Behrendt would “continue to be at the forefront of national discussion for many years”. That prediction has demonstrably come to fruition – whether it be in the fields of Indigenous justice and the law, advocacy, or the visual and performing arts. Her leadership and work have continued to be recognised through many awards. In 2020 Professor Behrendt was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia.
To view the Australian Human Rights Commission media release announcing the three 2021 Human Rights Award winners click here.
Professor Larissa Behrendt. Image source: Australian of the Year Awards website.
Highest rate of leukaemia virus in world
A new study has found that remote central Australian Aboriginal communities have the highest prevalence of human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in the world. This devastating virus can cause severe disease, including aggressive adult T-cell lymphoma (ATL), HTLV-1 associated myelopathy, and uveitis, an inflammation of the eyes that can, if left untreated, lead to vision loss.
The study published in the PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases found the prevalence of HTLV-1 in adults in central Australia was 36.8%, the highest reported worldwide. Prevalence increased with age suggesting that sexual contact may be the predominant mode of transmission.
To view the article in full click here.
Image source: Newsweek.
Type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal girls research
Dr Lisa Nicholas from the Adelaide Medical School has been awarded $150,000 over two years to study why Aboriginal girls are more prone to youth-onset obesity and type 2 diabetes than non-Aboriginal girls. She will examine whether the disparity is exacerbated in children of mothers who developed diabetes during pregnancy.
Knowledge gained from the study will help to identify individuals most at risk of these conditions and provide opportunities for earlier intervention strategies. Dr Nicholas was awarded the funding under the 2021 Women’s Health grant which is a new scheme.
To view the University of Adelaide media release in full click here.
Image source: The The Medical Journal of Australia.
Health journal research assistant opportunity
The University of Melbourne are seeking expressions of interest for a short-term casual Level A (Research Assistant) role to support the establishment of a First Nations health and wellbeing journal. Support would include organising stakeholder meetings, taking meeting minutes, following up on actions, coordinating documentation requirements, assisting with referencing, formatting documents, presentations, tables and charts. The work could be flexible to fit within existing study or work, with an estimate around 7 to 15 hours a week for 6 to 9 months.
Professor Catherine Chamberlain, Indigenous Health Equity can be contacted by phone 0428 921 271 or by email using this link for any enquiries.
Image source: indigenous.gov.au.
New process for job advertising
NACCHO have introduced a new system for the advertising of job adverts via the NACCHO website and you can find the sector job listings here.
Click here to go to the NACCHO website where you can complete a form with job vacancy details – it will then be approved for posting and go live on the NACCHO website.
International Human Rights Day
International Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
This year’s Human Rights Day theme relates to ‘Equality’ and Article 1 of the UDHR – “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
The principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the heart of human rights. Equality is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and with the UN approach set out in the document Shared Framework on Leaving No One Behind: Equality and Non-Discrimination at the Heart of Sustainable Development. This includes addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies, including women and girls, Indigenous peoples, people of African descent, LGBTI people, migrants and people with disabilities, among others.
For more information about International Human Rights Day click here.
