634 Results

  • Comparing two pandemics: A century apart

    … with the Covid-19 pandemic. It highlights similarities and differences in the nature of these pandemics, the … public health emergencies.   We recently published a study 1 that explored the similarities and differences between the … death when Covid-19 was the underlying cause of death or a contributory cause of death. Deaths with no recorded sex …
    Briefing

  • Where do the parties stand? Addressing Māori health inequity

    … access to health services, poorer quality of care, and a failure of health services to improve outcomes for … of these reviews and the new arrangements ie, retaining or strengthening Te Aka Whai Ora (the Māori Health … series are being collated here as they are published On 1 July 2022, the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act came into …
    Briefing

  • Seven decades of severe weather events in Aotearoa New Zealand: What are the human health impacts?

    … health impacts from severe weather events, such as floods and storms, in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) for the past 70 … recorded, of which 185 were linked with either injuries or deaths. In total, the deaths of 362 people were reported, … and injuries from heatwaves, droughts, floods, and storms [1, 2]. Globally, extreme weather events are expected to …
    Briefing

  • COVID-19, Christmas, the New Year and Summer Holidays: What the NZ Government and individuals can do to minimise the risks

    … New Zealand (NZ) prepares for the upcoming summer holidays and Christmas celebrations, the impact of COVID-19 will … life expectancy declining in Europe and North America. [1] This worsening situation is being driven by the ongoing … moment. Under the current COVID-19 Protection Framework or traffic light system, individuals wanting to leave …
    Briefing

  • Potential for an avian influenza pandemic: Time for NZ to ramp up preparedness

    … a major cause of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) or ‘bird flu’, is causing concern as it continues to evolve and infect new hosts, notably cattle for the first time. … (HPAI) with high death rates in chickens and other birds. 1 This is the largest influenza panzootic (a pandemic in …
    Briefing

  • “Achieving Smokefree Aotearoa by 2025”: a response to critiques

    … on 2 August. A previous blog described its key features and a rationale for the recommended measures. This blog … Action Plan will support people who smoke to either quit or to transition fully from smoking to vaping. Smokefree … of making e-cigarettes more widely available in Table 1. Table 1: Potential benefits and risks of increasing …
    Briefing

  • Another Havelock North? Govt undoing protections for drinking water safety

    … established a formal inquiry into what went wrong and lessons for the future. This led to policy changes to … that could harm people’s health through contaminated, or otherwise degraded, drinking water sources.  However, the … people sick, 42 hospitalised, and led to four deaths. 1 This was the largest waterborne campylobacteriosis outbreak …
    Briefing

  • Urgent action needed to prevent a measles epidemic in Aotearoa New Zealand

    … immunisation coverage at two years of age has been falling and is now 83% overall, and 69% for Māori children. This is … status, unless immunity gaps are rapidly closed”. 1  Local assessments agree. 2 3 This Briefing summarises the … their measles immunity and get vaccinated if susceptible or uncertain. It is also urgent to rapidly address immunity …
    Briefing

  • Poor ventilation in public transport settings in Aotearoa NZ: New data for buses and trains

    … in Aotearoa NZ as a proxy measure for poor ventilation and increased Covid-19 transmission risk. In buses and trains … this reduces the risk of spreading airborne pathogens 1 and ensures a comfortable and healthy environment for … decisions about personal safety, such as wearing a mask or travelling when public transport is not crowded. Specific …
    Briefing

  • The Smokefree 2025 Action Plan: key findings from the ITC New Zealand (EASE) project

    … Summary This blog summarises findings from people who smoke or have recently quit smoking and who participated in the ITC New Zealand project from … are Māori) surveyed in August 2016 to April 2017 (wave 1 [W1], 1155 participants), June to December 2018 (wave 2 …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)