698 Results

  • Reducing cardiovascular disease deaths from overweight & obesity: Fortunately there are several options

    … blog, we look at a recent combined analysis of 97 studies on how much of the overweight/obesity association with … policy can address the obesity epidemic. We also reflect on a seminal paper on BMI and mortality by the late Gary Whitlock. Being …
    Briefing

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

    … assessment of the current A(H5N1) panzootic and comments on needed risk-management measures. Risk assessment of … and Public Health Communication Centre Dr Oz Mansoor , Medical Officer of Health, Tairāwhiti (on sabbatical with … Dunedin and other wildlife hospitals will continue to report birds with suspected avian influenza symptoms via the …
    Briefing

  • Lessons from jurisdictions that are battling their own Delta variant outbreaks

    … Level split), mandating QR scanning at essential services under Alert Level 4, and suspending new bookings in MIQ … (R o ), estimated at between 5 and 7 [3] meaning that on average, a Delta case may infect between 5 to 7 other … own dedicated regional COVID-19 quarantine facility with 500 beds . The Premier in her announcement mentioned the …
    Briefing

  • Why NZ should consider adopting “mass masking” as an additional step to speed elimination of the Covid-19 pandemic

    … influenza infection [2]. In this blog we focus more on the potential role of masks in contributing to reducing … Kong has maintained an effective reproduction number of under 1 for several weeks now . The above is only suggestive … of cloth masks The concerns over the supply of medical masks for the public is a valid one and we propose …
    Briefing

  • The urgent need for a Covid-19 Action Plan for Schools in Aotearoa New Zealand

    … Official figures show that during Term 1 there were just under 100,000 confirmed cases aged 0-9 years and over 147,000 … case numbers in schools and education records show that on 11 March 2022, over 250,000 children were absent from … NZ. This policy has placed an unnecessarily heavy burden on school staff, requiring them to take on a pandemic …
    Briefing

  • Evidence for free school lunches: Are they worth investing in?

    … Summary This Briefing considers preliminary evaluation work on Ka Ora, Ka Ako, the free, healthy school lunch programme. … with more details available in the attached summary report and from the authors by request.  Evaluation findings … and time burden. 7 Local economies benefitted with about 2,500 new jobs created. 8 Qualitative studies reported reduced …
    Briefing

  • Are we ready to eliminate invasive meningococcal disease in Aotearoa New Zealand?

    … (IMD) is a serious infection that has devastating impacts on families. Most cases are children and young adults, and … strategy for the Covid-19 pandemic has shed new light on preventing a range of infections that spread by the … at the University of Otago) to identify any currently under-utilised outbreak control approaches; Genomic …
    Briefing

  • The Government’s transport plans work against our health

    … Summary The draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport 2024-34 neither supports the health and … to poor health through the impacts of climate change on the population.  In summary, the proposed policies will … just from this pollutant alone, along with at least 8,500 hospitalisations and 13,000 episodes of asthma in …
    Briefing

  • Media release: Tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food - where the parties stand: Election 2023

    … a new survey out shows political parties are widely split on whether they would support evidence-informed policies that … Boyd Swinburn says governments have dragged their feet on alcohol policy for many years apart from the recent … “The outlook for effective prevention policies looks bleak under a National/ACT government, especially if ACT holds …
    News

  • The changing COVID-19 situation in Taiwan – what can NZ learn from Taiwan’s latest outbreak?

    … large scale restrictions imposed to bring the outbreak under control.  This COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan serves as a … as pandemics. 1  Taiwan’s response to COVID-19 started on 31 December 2019 when WHO was notified of pneumonia of … to the test: COVID-19 in Taiwan. Journal of the Formosan Medical Association = Taiwan yi zhi, 2020. 119 (4): p. …
    Briefing

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Public Health Expert Briefing (ISSN 2816-1203)