604 Results

  • Carcinogen exposure in Aotearoa workplaces is unacceptably high

    … year, reports that more than half (58%) of all workers are exposed to at least one workplace carcinogen at some … to five or more carcinogens at any level. The top 10 most common cancer-causing substances and exposures across all … which we know is different from that of non-Māori. 3 What is to be done? Despite these deficits, the NZCS report …
    Briefing

  • Covid-19 Hospitalisations Now Peaking in Aotearoa NZ – But Key Covid-19 Control Measures Still Need to be Maintained

    … data for Covid-19 suggesting that the numbers are now peaking across the country. To date, the peak burden … below suggests that the number of people in hospital with a Covid-19 diagnosis peaked for Auckland on 15 March … (abstracted from Ministry of Health daily news reports) What Covid-19 control measures do we still need to keep? …
    Briefing

  • Reducing nicotine in smoked tobacco products: A pivotal feature of the Smokefree Aotearoa proposals

    … products to very low levels and mandating that these are the only smoked tobacco products available for sale in … to help achieve the proposed Smokefree 2025 goal. 4 What are the arguments and evidence in support of this … could reduce disparities in smoking prevalence and associated health inequities. What is the likely impact of a …
    Briefing

  • The science is certain: masks work. Policy and practice must support their use

    … New Zealand (NZ). We need to upgrade mask policy to align with current evidence. NZ is missing out on the benefits of … public with clear guidelines and resources so that masks are accessible to all, environmental impacts are minimised, … protection, starting with those who need them most. What this Briefing adds This new review provides scientific …
    Briefing

  • Strengthening Omicron mitigation strategies in Early Childhood Education settings

    … outbreak. With Covid-19 cases doubling every few days, what opportunities are there to strengthen the mitigation approaches in early … In addition, co-infection of Covid-19 and other common childhood viruses may cause more serious illness, and …
    Briefing

  • Australia’s Quarantine Systems Failures: Lessons for NZ

    … very well with their COVID-19 pandemic responses and they are ranked 2nd and 9th in the world, respectively, by the … with PCR testing and mask use in any shared spaces (eg, common exercise areas are used in NZ, but not in most … should be given to testing of all workers in border-associated occupations (eg, providing airline meals and …
    Briefing

  • Tax policy reform: equity, fairness, and health

    … connection with others and social cohesion. These values are expressed in the concepts of manaakitanga, … government has less funding than it should to spend on the common good. The New Zealand government currently spends … . The New Zealand public has a right to know who is paying what, when and how. That is the only way to ensure that …
    Briefing

  • And now the Brits are doing it: A sugary drink tax levy on the industry

    … a “soft drinks industry levy”. This blog reviews how they are doing it, early signs of its success, and ponders its … for NZ.  We also take this opportunity to point out some problems with a recent NZIER Report on sugary drink taxes. … this blog we explain how the UK levy works (it is clever), what health impacts this levy might have (it is much more …
    Briefing

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

    … (eg, from a 2022 study of Wellington’s Metlink buses) are consistent with international research also showing poor … Government “through the Ministry of Health, to develop a common set of indoor air quality standards for public … use by the NZ public and by public transport staff. Eg, what types of media campaign might be worthwhile and …
    Briefing

  • Key findings in the 2021/22 NZ Health Survey: Continued rapid falls in smoking prevalence and increases in vaping

    … Full details of the methods and a methodology report are available on the Ministry of Health website . Data used … increase in EC use between 2015/16 and 2019/20 was not associated with a substantial change in the rate of decline … people or attracted users who would not have smoked. So what are the implications for future policy and practice and …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)