Lead poisoning is entirely preventable, yet lead exposure is estimated to account for 0.6% of the global burden of disease, with the highest burden in developing regions. Childhood lead exposure is estimated to contribute to about 600 000 new cases of children with intellectual disabilities every year. Even though there is wide recognition of this problem and many countries have taken action, exposure to lead, particularly in childhood, remains of key concern to health care providers and public health officials worldwide.

Paints containing high levels of lead are still widely available and used in many countries for decorative purposes, although good substitutes without lead are available. This is an opportunity to mobilize political and social commitment for further progress.

During the campaign week, the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint aims to:

• Raise awareness about lead poisoning;
• Highlight countries and partners’ efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning; and
• Urge further action to eliminate lead paint

For more information, visit the WHO website.

SUDEP is the sudden, unexpected death of someone with epilepsy, who was otherwise healthy. No other cause of death is found when an autopsy is done. Each year, more than 1 out of 1,000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP. If seizures are uncontrolled the risk of SUDEP increases to more than 1 out of 150. These sudden deaths are rare in children, but are the leading cause of death in young adults with uncontrolled seizures.

For more information visit Epilepsy Australia.

The 10th International Brain Tumour Awareness Week will be held from Saturday, 22nd October to Saturday, 29th October inclusive. You can organise an activity which will contribute to increased awareness about brain tumours. It could be a walk (see information about the Walk Around the World for Brain Tumours), a picnic, an information seminar, a scientific conference, or the distribution of a media statement to local media which draws attention to the particular challenges of a brain tumour and the need for a special response and an increased research effort.

To register/report your Awareness Week activity, visit the International Brain Tumor Awareness Week Website.

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month

Pregnancy & Infant Loss is an eternal heartache for hundreds of thousands of parents around the world. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month – a month we at Bears Of Hope, recognise and promote the importance of early and ongoing support for the 1 in 4 parents who experience the loss of their baby within Australia.

More than half a century ago Eleanor Roosevelt said, It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

Many have since gone on to believe that the lit candle represents hope in the dark and a resistance against the shadows of our own minds.

October 15th is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day. A day where families across the globe are asked to light a candle in remembrance of their baby whose life was too short. If everyone was to light a candle at 7pm in their local time and leave it burning for an hour there will be a continuous wave of light across the world for 24hrs.

May you always see the hope through that flicker of light.

For more information, visit Bears of Hope.

World Mental Health Day (WMHD) is a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy. An initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, WMHD is an annual program held on 10 October to raise public awareness of mental health issues worldwide.

This year in Australia, WMHD has three objectives:

1. Encourage help seeking behaviour
2. Reduce the stigma associated with mental illness
3. Foster connectivity throughout communities

You don’t have to have a mental illness to take part, you just need to have an interest in your own good health, which is important to everyone.

Mental Health Australia is delighted to be leading the WMHD campaign in Australia. As the peak not-for-profit organisation representing the mental health sector in Australia, Mental Health Australia has a focus on ensuring the whole community recognises the part we all play in creating a mentally healthy society.

For more information, visit the Mental Health Australia website.

Dwarfism refers to a group of conditions characterised by shorter than normal skeletal growth. This shortness can be manifested in the arms and legs or trunk. There are over 200 types of dwarfism,
Achondroplasia is the most common type of short-limb dwarfism, occurring in around one in 25,000 children in Australia with both sexes at equal risk. This type of skeletal dysplasia (abnormal skeletal growth) is usually diagnosed at birth.

This October, you can help raise awareness of dwarfism through fundraising and donations,  where all proceeds go towards raising awareness about Dwarfism and helping to fund medical aid and equipment for families with Dwarfism in Australia.

For more information visit the Short Statured People of Australia or Dwarfism Awareness Australia Website.

Each October, Polio Australia coordinates awareness-raising through its annual Polio Awareness Month campaign. Known polio survivors are contacted and their stories are provided to the print media and radio stations to broadcast the message that “We’re Still Here!” and that there is information and support from Polio Australia and Networks for people who are experiencing the LEoP/PPS and may not be aware of the condition.

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system, and can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours. Since the late 1950’s people have been vaccinated against polio, and  It has been eliminate world wide except for in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

For more information, visit Polio Australia.

October is nationally recognised as defibrillator awareness month.

Shocktober is organised by the Cardiac Arrest Survival Foundation to raise awareness and encourage everyone to install defibrillators in workplaces, at schools, sporting centres, shopping centres and on public transport.

Defibrillators (also known as AED) are used in the event of cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest kills up to 33,000 Australians per year. The quicker someone is defibrillated, the better their chance of survivial. But every minute that passes without a heartbeat reduces your chance of surviving by 10 per cent. This is why we need to encourage all public places to install defibrillators, because every minute counts, and the ambulance may not make it in time.

Automated External Defibrillators (AED) provided automated heart rate analysis, voice commands to the person performing CPR and deliver a shock to the heart to try to get it back into normal beating rhythm.

To help educate and raise awareness your workplace can hold a Shocktober event, visit Shocktober’s Website for more information.

Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects a woman’s reproductive organs. It happens when the lining cells (the endometrium) of the uterus grow outside of it. Often it is found on, and around, the pelvic and abdominal organs, including the ovaries. About 10% of women (around 176 million worldwide) are affected.

The symptoms vary from woman to woman. Some have many symptoms where severe pain occurs, others have no symptoms.

Don’t delay as early diagnosis and treatment may reduce the severity of the disease. Many women do not get a correct diagnosis for up to 7-10 years, often because the symptoms can be different between women and can change over time.

If you think you have endometriosis, make an appointment with your GP to discuss options and investigations.

For more information about Endometriosis, visit the Jean Hailes women’s health website.