ACT Health

15/09/2025

This is a different kind of green machine! 💚💚💚

For Canberrans who are allergic to pollen, the data collected by the ANU’s Burkard Spore Trap might help you plan your day.

The bright green trap captures airborne pollen on a glass slide, which is stained with a dye and counted using a microscope.

Sneezes, runny noses and itchy/watery eyes can all be symptoms of allergic rhinitis – commonly known as hay fever.

In Canberra, the key spring culprits include Cypress Pine, Pine, Poplar tree, Casuarina, Birch, Willow, Oak, Elm and rye grasses.

The team at ANU's Canberra Pollen Monitoring Program uses the machine to count the number of pollen in a cubic meter. This number corresponds to a pollen forecast of either low, moderate, high or extreme.

If you experience allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or have asthma that may be triggered by pollen, it’s a good idea to:

✅ensure that you have a current asthma action plan or hay fever treatment plan

✅carry any medications recommended in your plan

You can check out today’s pollen forecast by visiting Canberra Pollen Count and Forecast.

Learn more at https://www.act.gov.au/environment/air-quality/pollen-levels-and-your-health

📷PHD student and pollen counter, Madeleine, standing in front of the Burkard Spore Trap and holding the inside mechanism.

12/09/2025

Has this happened to you?

👉 You run out of your regular ongoing medication
👉 Your script has run out
👉 and you can’t get an appointment to see your GP 🫨

Talk to your local community pharmacist. They might be able to offer a short-term solution until you can see your GP.

By getting your prescriptions from the same pharmacy, they can review your medication history.

📞 It’s a good idea to call ahead to discuss your needs before you visit.

Know where to go for your health care, visit www.canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au/your-health-care

11/09/2025

Starting a conversation is a powerful first step and could change a life. 💛

RUOK? Day reminds us that the people in our lives—friends, family and colleagues—experience life’s ups and downs every day. That’s why it’s so important to feel confident asking, “R U OK?”—not just today, but every day.

To mark RUOK? Day, we’re hosting a pop-up stall in Woden Town Square today.

“This will be the fourth year we have been running the stall. It’s a great opportunity for members of the community to come say hello and receive some useful information about how to have a conversation about mental health.

“We know these conversations can feel tricky, but if you move through the discomfort, they have the potential to change, or even save a life,’ Jackelyn, Health and Community Services Directorate.

How do you ask R U OK?

Ask – Start the conversation with care and concern.
Listen – Give them your full attention and an open mind.
Encourage Action – Help them find ways to manage or seek support.
Check In – Follow up and keep the connection going.

Learn more at the RUOK? Day at https://www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask

Want to chat to the team? Details below👇

10/09/2025

Are you one in a hundred? 💯

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood is seeking an additional 100 donations in the ACT over the next week.

Demand for blood reached record levels over winter, coinciding with the highest appointment cancellation rates since the pandemic, severely impacting the blood supply.

Donors of all blood types are needed, so if you’ve never donated before, now is the time to start 👇
https://links.lifeblood.com.au/ASlj/bhp5fxh7

Demand for blood reached record levels over winter, coinciding with the highest appointment cancellation rates since the pandemic, severely impacting the blood supply. If you’ve never donated before, now is the time to start https://app.lifeblood.com.au/XW3k/1ol39xde.
We need donors of all blood types, help us find them by sharing this post.

05/09/2025

Do you know what this is? It’s pollen! 🌼

In Canberra, higher levels of tree and grass pollen are in the air from September to December.

If you are allergic to pollen, you may experience itchy and inflamed eyes and nasal passages, or allergic rhinitis – commonly known as hay fever.

For some people, pollen can also exacerbate asthma symptoms.

It’s National Asthma Week and Acting ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Sally Singleton reminds us that if you have asthma, now is a great time to be prepared.

“If you have asthma, you can be prepared by checking that you have a current asthma action plan – now is a good time to visit a GP to review or develop your asthma action plan.

“As a general guide, adults should update their asthma action plan every 12 months and children should have a review every 6 months.

“Take any asthma or allergy medication as prescribed and always carry medications recommended in your action plan,” said Dr Sally.

You can monitor pollen levels by visiting the Canberra Pollen Count and Forecast Service website.

Learn more https://www.act.gov.au/environment/air-quality/pollen-levels-and-your-health

📷 3-D pollen models of the major pollen types we come across in Canberra up against a Wattle tree at The Australian National University (from left to right): Pinus (Pine), Poaceae (Grass), Gum tree (Eucalyptus), Daisy (Asteraceae). Photo by Simon Haberle, ANU.

02/09/2025

Are you pregnant, or have you given birth in the ACT after 1 September 2024?

We’re gathering feedback to help us understand the experiences of women and birthing people accessing maternity care.

The Maternity Experience Survey will help us know what we’re doing well and how we can improve.

The survey is open to anyone who gives birth in the ACT and will remain ongoing.

If you are birthing in one of our public hospitals, keep an eye out for this sticker on the inside cover of your ‘blue book’ with prompts on how to do the survey.

Alternatively, you can do the survey here: https://bit.ly/3YTJUwz

01/09/2025

Meet Dr Dorothy 👋

Dr Dorothy is a local GP passionate about women’s health and making regular screening easier and more accessible.

“There are now more ways for women to stay on top of their health and get checked for important health issues such as cervical cancer,” she says.

Each year, around 800 women and people with a cervix are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Australia. 70% of cases are in those not up to date with screening. 🩺

This week is Women’s Health Week and it’s the perfect reminder to prioritise your check-ups.

If you're aged 25–74, you should book a Cervical Screening Test (CST) every 5 years.

“You can now self-collect your CST sample. It’s easy, private, and just as accurate,” says Dr Dorothy.

“Your healthcare provider will give you a swab, instructions, and a private space to collect your sample.”

The self-collect test is the latest innovation in the National Cervical Screening Program making it easier for everyone to stay on top of their health.

27/08/2025

Is there something worrying you about your health?

Your GP can be a great first point of contact.

GPs specialise in preventative care, meaning they can try to work with you to stop medical problems before they occur.

They also specialise in managing ongoing illness that need regular medical attention such as asthma, arthritis, cancer, dementia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart and cardiovascular conditions, mental health conditions, and osteoporosis. 👩‍⚕️

Know where to go for your health care, visit www.canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au/your-health-care

19/08/2025

Did you know your local community pharmacist can provide a range of vaccinations? ❤️

Many offer influenza, COVID-19, shingles, whooping cough, RSV, and travel vaccinations.

Government-funded vaccines to children aged 10 years and over are also available, as well as privately funded vaccines for people aged 5 years and over.

Call your local pharmacy first to make sure they have the vaccine in-stock.

Know where to go for your health care, visit www.canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au/your-health-care

14/08/2025

Hanna loves playing soccer during winter in Canberra! ⚽

And Hanna’s in good company with around one third of students in her year level getting at least one hour of physical activity each day, according to the ACT Government’s 2024 Year 7 Health Survey.

Compare that to 5 years earlier, which found that only around 1 in 5 students reached the 60-minute target.

The Year 7 Health Survey is held each year and the 2025 survey opens tomorrow!

We ask students about their:
🍎 Nutrition
🏃‍♂️ Physical activity and screen time
😴 Sleep
🙂 Wellbeing

The results help us respond to health issues and guide future programs and services for the ACT.

📊 You can view the 2024 survey results at https://bit.ly/3WAA3cB

13/08/2025

🩸 Periods are normal and now access to free products is too.

Free pads and tampons are now available across the ACT, making it easier to get what you need, when you need it.

You’ll find dispensers in places like public schools, libraries, hospitals, health and community centres, and selected government buildings.

The ACT is proud to be the first territory or state in Australia to guarantee free period products to the community through legislation.

🔎 Locate free period products at act.gov.au/community/women/free-period-products

12/08/2025

Bowel cancer is the second deadliest cancer in Australia, but it is also one of the most preventable.

That’s why it’s so important to take these steps towards a healthier lifestyle to help reduce your risk of developing the disease:

✔️ Eat a healthy, high fibre diet.
✔️ Exercise regularly.
✔️ Reduce alcohol consumption.
✔️ Quit smoking.
✔️ Maintain a healthy body weight.

As bowel cancer often develops without obvious symptoms, it is also important for Australians aged 45 to 74 to do their free at home bowel screening test every 2 years, to ensure early detection and treatment.

To find out more about bowel cancer and the national screening program, visit www.health.gov.au/nbcsp