527 Results

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

    … wastewater testing as part of Covid-19 control in Aotearoa NZ. Our analysis suggests that wastewater testing is much … 1pm Briefing). This testing now covers 75% of the total NZ population and over 90% of the population connected to … Scientist at ESR, Dr Brett Cowan, wastewater testing in NZ can typically detect 5-6 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 …
    Briefing

  • Five Strategic Approaches to Achieving the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Goal

    … The new NZ Government is to be congratulated for working on an Action … prevalence populations such as Māori and Pacific peoples. NZ’s recently elected majority Labour Government is currently … evidence that among every social group detailed in the NZ Health Survey, tobacco use is not declining quickly enough …
    Briefing

  • Smokefree outdoor areas: A missing part of Government’s new Smokefree 2025 proposals

    … State Government 2008 smokefree campaign logo Great NZ Government Smokefree 2025 proposals, but needing a vital addition The NZ Government is to be congratulated with its recent … outdoor areas are far from ‘business-as-usual’ for NZ. While many local authorities have tried to fill the void …
    Briefing

  • Expanding the Definition of Tobacco Harm Reduction: A Mindset Change to Help Achieve a Smokefree Aotearoa

    … exchange programmes to people using opioids (both used in NZ). Regulation around alcohol use such as: drink drive laws … ignition locks for recidivist drunk drivers (used in NZ), relatively lower tax rates on low-alcohol beverages (including NZ), and requiring certain venues to serve drinks in plastic …
    Briefing

  • Nitrate contamination in drinking water and adverse birth outcomes: emerging evidence is concerning for NZ

    … takes a brief look at this new evidence and puts it into a NZ context. Nitrate is one of the most common drinking water contaminants in NZ, largely driven by agricultural activity (nitrogen … 1-3 Our recent study of the current nitrate levels in NZ drinking water showed as many as 800,000 people could be …
    Briefing

  • Public Health Solutions Series: Two Injury Prevention Strategies to Reduce Pressure on the Health System

    … at reducing pressure on the health system of Aotearoa NZ. Raising alcohol taxes to prevent injury   This intervention has actually been modelled for the NZ setting where we considered a one-off 15 cent ($0.15) … reduced costs of treating transport injuries (reduced by NZ$3.6 million; 95% uncertainty interval [UI]: $0.88 million …
    Briefing

  • The need for an updated strategic approach to Covid-19 control in Aotearoa NZ

    … The NZ Government appears to have drifted into an unclear … elimination”. To maximise the success of this strategy, NZ would need to ensure tighter internal borders. … of Covid-19 is possible. Until very recently, Aotearoa NZ was clearly using an elimination strategy for Covid-19 …
    Briefing

  • Will regular tobacco tax increases get NZ to the tobacco endgame?

    … tax for achieving an end to the tobacco epidemic in NZ. The bottom line is that tax rises could play an important … missing the smokefree nation 2025 target We adapted a NZ-specific smoking projection model ( Ikeda et al ) to … (with 10% reflecting the annual increase legislated by the NZ Government to 2016). The modelling results suggest that …
    Briefing

  • Money down the drain: The high cost of leaking water pipes

    … consents”, is acknowledged by Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) authorities. 3 Water loss : The most obvious problem is … critical at times of scarcity, often the summer months in NZ localities. At times of water scarcity citizens may have … of road and footpath infrastructure (eg, a major slip in NZ in 2023 4 ). Resource diversion/opportunity cost : Dealing …
    Briefing

  • An upgraded Alert Level 2 is urgently needed to address the Delta Variant threat

    … Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ’s) Covid-19 Alert Level system worked well in early 2020, … at Alert Level 3) to eliminate community transmission. As NZ plans moves down the Alert Levels in coming weeks, now is … from further border system failures) remains. Therefore, NZ should continue with its intensive efforts to control the …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)