Illawarra Medical Centre

09/12/2025

It's not just Santa growing his beard at this time of year! Bowel Cancer Australia's Decembeard campaign encourages the community - be it fathers, brothers, husbands, partners, family members or friends - to find out about bowel cancer and grow a beard to raise awareness and funds for Bowel Cancer Australia.

Bowel cancer is the third most common and third deadliest cancer in men, with 7,833 men diagnosed each year, including 848 (11%) under age 50.

Find out more at https://www.bowelcanceraustralia.org/

09/12/2025

Need a last minute appointment before the holidays? We have a few spots available this week!

Contact us on (08) 9208 6400 or book online at https://illawarramedical.com.au

04/12/2025

03/12/2025

The festive season countdown is ON! 🎁

How are you prepping for a healthy holiday?

As you plan ahead, we encourage you to:
➡️ check your immunisations are up to date for you and your family
➡️ book an appointment to talk to your health professional about vaccinations today.

Stay healthy while you celebrate.

02/12/2025

BULK BILLED ECHO TESTING NOW AVAILABLE AT IMC!
IMC is teaming up with Advara HeartCare to offer our patients bulk billed ECHO testing every second Wednesday.

An ECHO test is an ultrasound of your heart that is used to check your heart's overall health and help diagnose any defects and irregularities.

You must meet the eligibility criteria for this service and have a referral from your GP.

To find out more, book an appointment with your GP or contact us on (08) 9208 6400.

30/11/2025

Today is World AIDS Day, which aims to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in our community and across the world. It reminds us that HIV is still a global epidemic.

While a lot has improved since the virus was first discovered in 1981, there are still an estimated 30,890 Australians and 40.8 million people worldwide living with HIV.

Australia has been a world leader in fighting this epidemic and is one of the few countries to reach the important UNAIDS target of 90-90-90 in 2020.

That means that in Australia today:
- People living with HIV can get medication that allows them to live a healthy, long life.
- People living with HIV who take antiretroviral treatment can supress their viral load and have no risk of transmitting HIV to a sexual partner.
- People can take preventive medication that removes the risk of getting HIV through sexual activity.
- People can quickly access medications that prevents HIV infection if exposed to the virus.
- We have safer-sex initiatives and programs to reduce the risk of harm from injecting drugs.

Find out more at https://www.worldaidsday.org.au/

28/11/2025

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, which aims to shine a light on this deadly disease and make early detection a global priority.

Pancreatic cancer is Australia’s third deadliest cancer. As early-stage pancreatic cancer rarely causes signs or symptoms, it can be hard to diagnose. However, if you persistently experience any of the following symptoms, talk to your doctor:

- abdominal or back pain
- jaundice
- fatty stool
- unexplained weight loss
- new onset diabetes or hard to manage diabetes
- nausea
- loss of appetite

Find out more at https://pankind.org.au/

27/11/2025

Getting the HPV vaccine and keeping up-to-date with your regular cervical screenings are the best ways to prevent cervical cancer.

At Illawarra Medical Centre, we offer both cervical screenings and immunisation for all vaccinations that form part of the National Immunisation Program Schedule, including the HPV vaccine.

To make an appointment, simply book online or contact us on (08) 9208 6400.

You can read more about the symptoms, risks and prevention of cervical cancer in our recent blog below>>

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women and Australia is helping lead the charge to eliminate the disease globally. More>>

26/11/2025

November's Asbestos Awareness Month highlights the increasing incidents in asbestos-related diseases among Australians as a direct result of exposure to asbestos fibres during home renovations or in the workplace.

Disturbed asbestos can release dangerous fine particles of dust containing asbestos fibres. Breathing in dust containing these fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma - a cancer which occurs in the lining of the lung and has no cure.

Symptoms of asbestos dust related diseases don't usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos and the average time between exposure and developing mesothelioma is about 45 years.

As there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos fibres, the best way to reduce the risk of exposing yourself and your family to long-term health risks from asbestos related disease is to make sure you observe safety precautions when removing or working with asbestos.

For more information, visit https://asbestosawareness.com.au/

24/11/2025

Today is White Ribbon Day - a global movement to help end violence against women and girls by bringing attention to and responding to violence against women as a public health, gender equality and human rights issue.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared domestic and family violence (DFV) as a global public health issue. In Australia, 1 in 4 women have experienced physical or sexual violence by a current or previous partner since the age of 15 and, on average, one woman is killed by an intimate partner every 11 days.

DFV can have a number of health impacts, including:
- assault-related injuries
- traumatic brain injury
- mental health conditions
- self-harm and suicidality
- sexually transmitted infections
- reproductive health problems, including miscarriage

For more information and support, visit https://whiteribbon.org.au/

24/11/2025

A few of the IMC team kicked off the festive season early and took to the greens at Holey Moley over the weekend for the inaugural IMC Cup 🎄⛳

Congratulations to Alea and Di, who putted up a storm and were joint winners of the prized trophy 🏆

22/11/2025

This week is World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness Week, which aims to raise awareness and increase understanding of AMR and to promote global action to tackle the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial agents and results in antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents becoming ineffective. This makes infections more difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

You can help in the fight against AMR by knowing the do's and don'ts when it comes to antiobiotic use.

For more information, visit https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-amr-awareness-week/2025