Public Health Expert

Bioethicists, Scientists and Politicians; Decision Making in a Pandemic

Public Health Expert • Dec 01, 2020

• COVID-19,
• ethics,
• pandemic planning

Dr Ben Gray* To date New Zealand has come through the pandemic well. The role of political leadership and scientific input has been well covered. Part of this success was built upon having a clear ethical framework for managing a pandemic that had been developed in advance following the SARS outbreak. This blog considers the interaction between the science the … Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa/NZ: A brief photo-essay with 10 photos

Public Health Expert • Nov 25, 2020

• COVID-19,
• Covid-19 photo essay,
• lockdown,
• NZ pandemics,
• public health messaging

Luke Pilkinton-Ching, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick Wilson In this photo-essay of the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa/NZ, each photo is accompanied by a brief comment on the pandemic impact or response. In some instances these images reflect success factors such as the relatively early introduction of border controls and the stringent nature of the “lockdown”. But we also consider some … Read More

Time to Stop Dodging Bullets? NZ’s Eight Recent Border Control Failures

Public Health Expert • Nov 17, 2020

• border,
• coronavirus,
• COVID-19,
• managed isolation,
• quarantine

Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Leah Grout, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Michael Baker There have been eight distinct border control failures in Aotearoa/NZ relating to the pandemic virus that causes COVID-19, since early August 2020, equivalent to one every two weeks. In this blog we briefly detail these failures and argue the case for an urgent review and upgrading of … Read More

How to Systematically Reduce the Border Failure Risk for COVID-19 in Aotearoa/NZ

Public Health Expert • Oct 28, 2020

• border control,
• COVID-19,
• managed isolation and quarantine facilities,
• mask use,
• risk assessment

Prof Nick Wilson*, Dr Jennifer Summers, Dr Amanda Kvalsvig, Prof Michael Baker With the 2020 election over and with a newly elected government, it is an excellent time for a systematic review by NZ health authorities to identify optimal methods for reducing the risk of future COVID-19 outbreaks in Aotearoa/NZ. The persisting occurrence of cross-border incursions of the pandemic virus … Read More

Covid-19: A planetary disease

Public Health Expert • Oct 14, 2020

• COVID-19,
• environmental health,
• international health regulations,
• zoonotic diseases

Louise Delany* This blog focuses on the underlying environmental causes of Covid-19 (Covid) and the role of international law in tackling both Covid and other planetary crises. I argue that major changes to our relationship with our planet and its creatures are needed and these changes must be supported by new international law.   What caused Covid? Covid-19 is a … Read More

Preventing diabetes: What does the latest modelling evidence tell us about health gains and cost savings?

Public Health Expert • Oct 07, 2020

• Diabetes,
• diabetes type 2

Dr Cristina Cleghorn, Dr Leah Grout, Dr Anja Mizdrak, Prof Nick Wilson Approximately 5.5% of NZ adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. In this blog we summarise our recent modelling work that suggests that further investment in interventions of proven effectiveness to prevent type 2 diabetes could substantially benefit health, reduce health inequalities, and save billions in health sector … Read More

Getting the Marketing Mix Right: A Commentary on NZ’s Forthcoming Vaping Regulations

Public Health Expert • Oct 01, 2020

• Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS),
• Heated Tobacco Products (HTP),
• Smoking,
• vaping regulations,
• youth vaping

Janet Hoek, Lindsay Robertson, Jude Ball, Richard Edwards, Anaru Waa On August 11 2020, the NZ Parliament passed legislation that extends existing regulation of tobacco and herbal smoking products to vaping products (or electronic nicotine delivery systems [ENDS] and heated tobacco products (HTPs]. The new Act represents an important step in managing access to ENDS and HTPs, and regulating how … Read More

The long-term health burden of COVID-19: further justification for NZ’s elimination strategy

Public Health Expert • Sep 24, 2020

• COVID-19,
• elimination,
• long-COVID,
• Pandemic

Prof John D. Potter* This blog briefly surveys the emerging scientific evidence on the longer-term burden of symptoms and disease in survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these symptoms point to damage in the brain and heart. These long-term harms add to the wide range of other reasons for Aotearoa/New Zealand to persist with its successful COVID-19 elimination strategy. Read More

The smokefree policies of political parties: Do they care about people who smoke?

Public Health Expert • Sep 24, 2020

• preventative policies,
• smokefree 2025,
• tobacco,
• tobacco control

George Thomson*, Nick Wilson, Janet Hoek, Andrew Waa, Richard Edwards In this time of Covid-19, helping people who smoke to quit their addiction has an even greater importance. Smokers are more vulnerable to many harmful health effects, including severe effects from the virus. Policies that support people who smoke to be smokefree would also increase the discretionary income of many … Read More

Shifting all Isolation/Quarantine Facilities to a Single Air Force Base: The Need for a Critical Analysis

Public Health Expert • Sep 14, 2020

• border control,
• coronavirus,
• COVID-19,
• isolation facilities,
• Ohakea,
• quarantine facilities

Prof Nick Wilson*, Prof Michael Baker In this blog the arguments for and against shifting all COVID-19 related isolation/quarantine facilities to a single air force base at Ōhakea are considered. The main advantage would be a reduction in the risk of border control failures, which can potentially involve outbreaks in NZ’s largest cities with large health and economic … Read More