733 Results

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

    … Summary Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common cause of sore throats and … Penicillin is the drug of choice for treating both mild and severe GAS disease, while other treatments are … spread of GAS and other respiratory viruses that often co-circulate with GAS. In addition, measures to reduce …
    Briefing

  • Queenstown outbreak highlights future challenges for clean drinking water

    … safe to drink. While authorities continue to investigate a range of potential source of this outbreak, they have … to residents of Queenstown and Frankton. The warning came after several people were diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis; a … about how to limit their exposure to potential sources of infection, as well as to reduce transmission from infected …
    Briefing

  • A kinder way to deliver penicillin for rheumatic fever: Shouldn’t children have this choice?

    … Summary Acute rheumatic fever is a serious illness that can develop when the immune system reacts abnormally to a Group A Streptococcus (Strep A) throat or skin infection. It can lead to rheumatic heart disease, which …
    Briefing

  • Reducing the health burden from contaminated drinking water in NZ: Opportunities arising from the new Water Services Bill

    … we consider how the new Water Services Bill might provide a framework to enable the new water regulator, Taumata … drinking water. As such, local government policy decisions often defer to the RMA, which in some cases, are in conflict … * Author affiliations: all from Health Environment & Infection Research Unit, Department of Public Health, …
    Briefing

  • Proposals to reduce youth vaping: Important steps but a more comprehensive approach needed

    … “ youth vaping rates are too high and we need to strike a better balance ”, she has requested feedback on three … which may sell a full flavour range. 4  Dairies are often visited by young people, whose potentially high … a lifestyle practice  concentrated among young people  and often unconnected to smoking status. The Government hopes to …
    Briefing

  • Choosing a healthier, fairer future for Aotearoa: New report provides the direction

    … The Public Health Advisory Committee has just released a pivotal report, Determining Our Future , which sets out key … the report documents how commercial interests too often override population health priorities. Yet, often there is significant public support for action on these …
    Briefing

  • The need for long-term thinking – Especially for preventing catastrophic risks

    … (AI) and climate change. Fortunately, there is a wide range of feasible options to build long-term thinking … . Appropriately responding to this threat also demands a long-term focus on building in safe locations and having … infrastructure is typically decades out-of-date and needs a major upgrade. 1 2 This deficit caused an outbreak of …
    Briefing

  • Dietary counselling – how effective and cost-effective is it?

    … and cost-effectiveness of dietary counselling as a health intervention. Most studies suggest that dietary … However, governments, policy-makers and the public are often interested in counselling interventions, necessitating … at study start and 1 hour at follow-up home visits after 6 weeks of intervention, with support through cell …
    Briefing

  • Management of Auckland’s border and COVID-19

    … reasonable quality data implies that the risk of Covid-19 infection for most vaccinated international arrivals is … repeated PCR tests. Arrivals are also required to submit a negative PCR test result carried out 72 hours or less prior … vaccinated case rate in many more. In Canada, for example, after adjusting for their lower testing rate, there could be …
    Briefing

  • Mind the gap: Associate Health Minister’s actions conflict with Ministry advice, align with tobacco industry lobbying

    … Minister Shane Jones admitted taking “ soundings ” from a tobacco company staff member, dismissing his obligations … there was only “weak evidence” of snus’s effectiveness as a smoking cessation tool and noted that snus may increase the … and who have not found vaping appealing.”   “Look past the often-partisan rhetoric. The coalition’s promise to avoid …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)