600 Results

  • Government struggling with evidence: HTPs, addiction levels, and Smokefree 2025

    … For example, less heavily addicted people who quit may be replaced by less heavily addicted younger people who join the population, and older more addicted people may be more likely to die. Furthermore, policies’ on-going … these people need “alternatives to cigarettes that may not be tobacco-free themselves but serve as a means-to-an-end to …
    Briefing

  • The high burden from mental health disorders – but also an opportunity for cost-effective interventions

    … for most disorders”. Indeed, some responses would probably be cost-saving to the government and to society – eg, higher … for psychoactive substances that are considered to be “low-risk”. But perhaps New Zealand can do more to manage … (Washington State and Colorado) where cannabis sales will be regulated and possibly taxed. This may allow for more …
    Briefing

  • Severe domestic squalor in Aotearoa New Zealand: A preliminary survey

    … unhygienic that most people would consider the house to be unsuitable for human occupation. 1  An extreme example is … squalor are present throughout Aotearoa NZ and that it can be very time consuming for agencies to help these people. It … aim of abating environmental conditions that are likely to be injurious to health. Legal solutions such as public health …
    Briefing

  • A Statue of Merit: Dr Margaret Cruickshank and the 1918 influenza pandemic

    … involve some memorials to US doctors whose activities can be regarded as unethical . Some New Zealand memorials have … Why this is an important statue This statue seems to us to be of value for several reasons. Firstly, New Zealand needs … or memorials about past epidemics in New Zealand seem to be accompanied by an information board (at least from our …
    Briefing

  • The UK Government shows leadership with a Soft Drink Tax announcement

    … (53c) per litre tax; which (for a NZ$2.50 1L bottle) would be a ~21% price increase if manufacturers and retailers fully … on this blog site previously – such revenue recycling can be a good way of ensuring public support for new taxes … ACC. We suspect that adopting a soft drink tax in NZ would be a wise move to consider and that the public would support …
    Briefing

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

    … to facilities used for quarantining people not known to be infected). One failure resulted in a large outbreak (179 … practice where required. The Alert Level system should be upgraded so that for the coming months (eg, until a … light system is operationalised) the whole country could be shifted to Alert Level 1.5. This Level should include …
    Briefing

  • Smartphone apps for weight loss and smoking cessation

    … to develop more health-related tools, a trend that may be accelerating with the introduction of the Apple watch and Apple’s health app. A case can be made for public health authorities to assess … the UK e.g., see this website . An alternative case would be to develop capacity for public health authorities to …
    Briefing

  • Likely rise in invasive strep infections in NZ requires a strategy

    … contacts and associated bacterial isolates, so they can be managed, investigated, and reported to national health … syndrome. Early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment can be lifesaving. Clinicians should be reminded that iGAS is an important cause of …
    Briefing

  • Oral nicotine products: Expanding the nicotine marketplace

    … ONPs are already widely promoted on social media and may be imported for personal use. In this Briefing, we examine … “freeing” than ECs. 17,18 . Although ONPs cannot legally be sold in Aotearoa New Zealand,  NZ First has committed to … and offered a price discount;  ZYN NZ claims to be the original site selling ONPs in NZ and offers price …
    Briefing

  • MR: To avoid a measles epidemic, Aotearoa must close the ‘immunity gap’

    … the unvaccinated and then engage with parents who may be vaccine hesitant. “It can take time to build a … reduce the risk of measles entering the country. “This can be as simple as making sure all travellers are aware of the … that they are protected against measles. They should also be urged to take documentation of immunity with them to avoid …
    News

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)