604 Results

  • To ensure success of the trans-Tasman travel “green zone”, we need to reduce system failures at the NZ border

    … as GDP impacts, also compare favourably to countries using a “suppression” strategy against the pandemic [2]. A recent … Pre-departure testing, and guidance on reducing Covid-19 infection risk behaviours, could be strengthened with … another person (Case G), potentially on a charter flight after leaving the facility [19] [20]. A household contact of …
    Briefing

  • The urgent need for a Covid-19 Action Plan for Schools in Aotearoa New Zealand

    … New Zealand (NZ) in early 2022, the Government announced a policy for schools that was essentially a business-as-usual … had been described in news media as an “asymptomatic or mild illness” for most, with full recovery likely after a few weeks. These assurances seemed overly optimistic. …
    Briefing

  • Time to stop dodging bullets? NZ’s eight recent border control failures

    … highly infectious pandemic virus, including: shifting to a risk-based approach to border management (a traffic light … (for protecting workers from a potentially fatal infection). Therefore, there is a need for an urgent review … suggest this may have occurred on a charter flight after leaving the MIQ facility). 21 A household contact was …
    Briefing

  • Covid-19 is finishing the year on a high: We need a vigorous coordinated response

    … Summary Covid-19 is causing a large fifth pandemic wave in November-December 2023, as … long Covid during 2023. Drivers of these large waves of infection are likely to include waning immunity, continuing … commonly causes long-term health effects ranging from mild to severe that can persist for months or years. 4,5, 6 …
    Briefing

  • Dementia: Update on causes and prevention, including the role of COVID-19

    … is a progressive syndrome, characterised by deteriorating cognitive function, involving memory, thinking, orientation, … learning capacity, language, and judgement. This impairment is commonly accompanied by changes in mood, … and the emergence of aggression.    Although dementia is often classified on the basis of pathology and syndromic …
    Briefing

  • Analysis of a new NZ Treasury Report on soft drink tax

    … an action plan to tackle childhood obesity, but it lacks a tax on sugary drinks – a strategy for which there is good … This beneficial impact has persisted into the second year after the tax according to a just published study in the … is that (zero-calorie) bottled water sales have increased after the SSB tax. Furthermore, there is no discussion in the …
    Briefing

  • Using Rapid Antigen Tests to improve COVID-19 control in Aotearoa NZ

    … for this purpose. However, Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) have a complementary role, particularly if COVID-19 infection becomes widespread. In this blog we briefly … is then squeezed onto the test strip within the device. After 15-30 minutes, the results are displayed (much like a …
    Briefing

  • Targeting a new generation – time for a greater focus on smoking uptake prevention?

    … recruit new generations to smoking. It is accompanied by a call to action to recruit young people to join the fight … Discussions about how to achieve a Smokefree Aotearoa often focus on how to increase successful quitting among … By contrast, because initiation of smoking is uncommon after the age of 24 years, 18 a person who reaches 25 years …
    Briefing

  • More wastewater testing could guide optimal Covid-19 control on the path back to elimination

    … testing is much more effective in determining if a population is very likely to be Covid-19 free, when …   Results: Cumulative probability of detection of any case after 5 days = 93%. The reason for this not being 100% is … system grid since people (eg, essential workers) will often travel daily to workplaces that are on the grid. …
    Briefing

  • A single shot to prevent cancer? HPV vaccine can!

    … 75% target. The World Health Organization now recommends a 1-dose vaccine schedule for 9-20-year-olds. Forty … cancers caused by HPV vaccine-types. The virus and vaccine Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is common. A … 2009, it was extended to females born from 1992 onwards. After a two-year catch-up for all female students in Years 8 …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)