653 Results

  • COVID-19 hospitalisation peaks in Australian States since Omicron emerged: potential relevance to Aotearoa NZ

    … the hospitalisation and ICU burden from the recent waves of COVID-19 in Australia, dominated by the Omicron variant. … peak in hospitalisations in Australia during the months of December 2021 and January 2022 occurred on 19 January with … experience to NZ on a per capita basis would suggest peaks of 1,107 people in NZ hospitals and 90 people in ICUs. We …
    Briefing

  • Illicit tobacco trade and the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Goal: Arguments and evidence

    … achieve the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Goal. This blog is one of a series examining key aspects of the proposals to help inform the debate and submissions. … examine the illicit tobacco trade. We examine the extent of the problem in NZ, consider how proposals in the Action …
    Briefing

  • Bioethicists, scientists and politicians; decision-making in a pandemic

    … New Zealand has come through the pandemic well. The role of political leadership and scientific input has been well covered. Part of this success was built upon having a clear ethical … in the blog by Nick Wilson and colleagues 7 : “This high failure rate is unacceptable from a border control …
    Briefing

  • “Why not just ban it?” Is it time to consider ending tobacco sales?

    … exactly that back in 2006. Why not just ban the sale of tobacco? This blog considers some arguments for and … than tobacco grown for personal use), importation and sale of tobacco products, whilst not criminalising the use of tobacco. The purpose of such a measure would be to ensure, …
    Briefing

  • Health-related food taxes and subsidies: A critique of opposition arguments

    … produce substantial health gains. However, the proposition of food pricing policies often meets with vigorous opposition and a range of counter-arguments relating to potential harms, lack of … a SSB tax (17). Both the NZ Medical Association and the Heart Foundation support SSB taxes. “ Food taxes are …
    Briefing

  • New modelling on the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in NZ associated with arriving travellers

    … our just published modelling work on estimating the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks associated with air travel to NZ. We … 14-day quarantine are still required. With the spread of more infectious SARS-CoV-2 variants it is critical that … scientific risk assessment is used for NZ and all aspects of border control are optimised for the differing risk posed …
    Briefing

  • Is funding Euthanasia a health priority for Aotearoa New Zealand: Part 2?

    … Providing equity of access for assisted dying without equity of access to palliative care is to completely undermine the goals of the End of Life Choice Act. The choice is distorted …
    Briefing

  • Regulator failure on nitrate in drinking water dumps escalating costs on those downstream

    … increasingly difficult decisions as nitrate pollution of drinking water sources worsens. Some water supplies in the … follow.  Last year, Canterbury saw its highest-ever number of dairy cattle, the primary source of nitrate pollution in … state of drinking water and trends not only demonstrates failure by ECan to protect drinking water from nitrate …
    Briefing

  • Comparing two pandemics: A century apart

    … It highlights similarities and differences in the nature of these pandemics, the responses, and their impacts on … Zealand and globally. It also emphasises the importance of learning from the past to inform current and future … cooperation, and addressing social determinants of health. The analysis reveals the critical role of rapid …
    Briefing

  • Flooding, public health – and the need for more emphasis on prevention

    … so as to better reduce the health and economic impacts of flooding disasters.   The recent flooding events in NZ … remind us that this country is at relatively high risk of such disasters. Over the past two years similar events … in Christchurch in March 2014. This risk is a consequence of high rainfall and the steepness of the hill and …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)