In Practice: Managing tick-borne illnesses

Also included in this week’s round-up is information on the extended shortage period for type 2 diabetes medication, advice for managing patients with diabetes during Ramadan, and upskilling in pregnancy care and heart disease risk.
 
New resources on tick-borne illness
The Department of Health and Aged Care has recently published a suite of educational materials on Australian tick-borne illnesses, consisting of guidance notes for health professionals and fact sheets for the general public.
 
Additionally, there are a range of links providing information on tick-borne diseases endemic to other countries.
 
These resources are intended to support health professionals and the general public to better understand tick-borne illness in Australia and to provide best practice advice on tick bite prevention and tick removal. They complement the Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks (DSCATT) clinical pathway and supporting literature review that are already available.         
 
Update to Ozempic notifications
For patients with type 2 diabetes who are prescribed semaglutide (sold as Ozempic) the shortage period for both Ozempic products (0.25/0.5 mg and 1 mg) has been extended until 30 June 2023.
 
This update has been published on the TGA’s Medicine Shortages Reports Database.
 
The TGA’s web statements and information pages have also been updated for Ozempic to reflect the shortage extension.
 
Advice for managing patients with diabetes during Ramadan
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan commenced on Thursday 23 March.
 
The RACGP’s Diabetes handbook provides advice on managing patients with diabetes during Ramadan, in the ’Managing risks and other impacts of type 2 diabetes’ chapter.
 
Additional support for GPs is also available in previously published guidance and a college summary document.
 
Preventing subsequent events in patients with atherosclerotic CVD
Webinar: Wednesday 26 April, 7.00 – 8.00 pm (AEST)
Register online
 
Sponsored by Amgen Australia, RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz and Head of the Department of Cardiology at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Professor Len Kritharides, present the second event of the college’s atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) webinar series – ‘Optimising therapy’.   
 
GPs can learn more about the urgency to optimise treatment in patients with ASCVD at high-risk of recurrent events and identify available therapeutic agents to intensify therapy to meet treatment targets.  
 
Supporting women to have alcohol-free pregnancies
Webinar: Tuesday 28 March, 7.00 – 8.00 pm (AEDT)
Register online
 
GPs interested in providing best practice care for patients who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy can attend the webinar on the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and the impact of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
 
The webinar will provide evidence-based information and strategies for having regular, best-practice conversations about alcohol with patients, and provide further tools and knowledge needed to reduce health risks and improve outcomes for pregnant patients and their babies.
 
Support for veterans and their families
A new article has been published in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs DVA Provider News: ‘Support available for Veterans and their families’, for members of the veteran and defence communities who may be concerned by the ongoing investigation by the Australian Federal Police and the Office of the Special Investigator, set up in the wake of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Inquiry. 
 
RACGP Plus member benefits
RACGP Plus members can receive a 10% lifetime discount on life cover with NobleOak life insurance. More information is available on the RACGP website.
 
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CPD diabetes management In Practice medication shortage tick-borne illness