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Illness

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Health workers dressed in protective gear at an Ebola treatment centre in Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ebola has been ruled out this time.

What we know about the deadly mystery illnesses affecting hundreds in Congo

The first cases occurred after children ate bats. Now hundreds of people in two villages are sick and more than 50 are dead.

  • Chinedu Asadu and Jean-Yves Kamale

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Steve Cook is a former animal-welfare officer dealing with burnout from a non-stop, stressful job... but now he says he’s found peace in leaving work behind, being relaxed, finding other things to do with his life.

Feeling exhausted, cynical, inefficient? It could be ‘burnout’ ... if it actually exists

Burnout has emerged as the modern condition, but scientists are deeply divided. Where some see a crisis, others see “a fashionable diagnosis” or “psychobabble”.

  • Liam Mannix
Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo Judith Suminwa talks to journalists during a press conference in Geneva.

Mystery illness kills more than 50 within hours in Congo

The outbreak began after three children ate a bat and died after suffering haemorrhagic fever symptoms. The WHO has ruled out Ebola.

  • Jean-Yves Kamale and Olivia Le Poidevin
Drew Dowsley was struck by a train in September, just hours after he was turned away from Gosford Hospital in a state of psychosis. He miraculously survived, and now his family is launching campaign with his mother Helen Dowsley to ensure the tragedy does not happen to anyone else. Helen and Drew looking at old photos of Drew as a child, at their home in Mittagong, Tuesday 4th of February 2025. Photo: Dion Georgopoulos / The Sydney Morning Herald

Drew was in crisis when he was hit by a train. His family want answers

Five months after Drew Dowsley’s miracle survival, his mother Helen still doesn’t understand why he was allowed to leave a NSW hospital in his darkest hour.

  • Angus Thomson
Jaun-Paul Kalman was rushed to hospital on February 5 after a blue-ring octopus bit him on the thumb at Balmoral.

1000 times worse than cyanide: Blue-ringed octopus bite can turn deadly, quickly

A man bitten in Mosman said he felt himself stop breathing. He was hit with so much venom he suffered another three bouts of paralysis in the week that followed.

  • Angus Dalton
Mosquito treatment of wetlands along the Swan River.

Swan River cities plead for help as they lose fight with mosquitos

The cities of Bayswater, Swan, Bassendean and Belmont released a statement Tuesday urging the Department of Health – which coordinates the state’s response to mosquitos – to step up in their fight against mosquitos.

  • Hamish Hastie
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Cats could be a risk from bird flu.

Pet peeve: Three factors that have raised the risk of a bird flu pandemic

The death of pets and a “red flag” study have experts worried about the virus that has infected 69 people and killed one patient in the US.

  • Angus Dalton
Former journalist Monique Ross worked in the media for nearly 14 years before stress, leading to burnout, triggered a major overhaul of her life and career.

Stress driving you towards burnout? Time to go green

Stress is an unavoidable part of life that can be compounded by high-pressure jobs and urban environments. But in a city like Brisbane, the antidote is within reach.

  • Courtney Kruk
A star drawn in a zwitterionic substance reveals itself after being dunked in food-dyed water.

Meet ‘zwitterions’: The weird, magic molecules that could save your life

They’re the hybrids of the chemical world – and they could be a game-changer for heart disease.

  • Angus Dalton
Young carer Charlie Dunn Rice with brother Thomas (Spider-Man costume), sister Ava and mum Kate Dunn.

‘A privilege’: What 15-year-old Charlie and other young carers want you to know

There are more than 390,000 carers under 25 in Australia, but their work often goes unnoticed, and advocates say more support is needed.

  • Lauren Ironmonger

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/illness-5yi