Tagged: Pandemic

Can pandemic threats justify border closure for island nations like NZ? - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Jun 26, 2017 •

• Borders,
• Infectious disease,
• Pandemic,
• Travel

Professor Nick Wilson, Dr Matt Boyd, Dr Osman Mansoor, Professor Michael G Baker Countries prepare for future pandemic risks because of pandemic influenza, novel emerging infectious agents and possible synthetic bioweapons. In a study we just published in a journal, we explored the costs and benefits of complete border closure in NZ in response to new pandemic threats. We found … Read More

Improving New Zealand’s preparations for the next pandemic - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • Feb 01, 2017 •

• ebola,
• emerging infectious dieseases,
• Horizon Scan,
• Influenza,
• Pandemic,
• public health,
• SARS,
• zika

By Dr Julia Scott, Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Michael Baker.  In a globalised world an infectious disease outbreak anywhere is a potential threat to New Zealand. Recent such threats have included severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), pandemic influenza (2009), Ebola and Zika. In the context of an upcoming University of Otago, Wellington Public Health Summer School symposium on … Read More

Surviving the flupocalypse! - Infectious Thoughts

Siouxsie Wiles • Sep 07, 2015 •

• Awana Rural Women,
• Barrier,
• David Johnston,
• Flu,
• GNS Science,
• Great Barrier Island,
• Island,
• John Titmus,
• Karen Healey,
• Lance Jennings,
• Mortenza,
• Otago,
• Pandemic,
• Radio NZ,
• virus

Picture this. A new virus, Mortenza, is sweeping around the world, killing millions. Despite all efforts, Mortenza reaches New Zealand and rapidly spreads around the country. In desperation, the Government isolates the tiny uninfected island of Great Barrier. How would this small community cope? Would they survive the pandemic? This is the fascinating scenario I’ll be exploring this coming weekend … Read More

Antiviral Stockpiles for Pandemic Preparedness: Time for a Careful Rethink? - Public Health Expert

Public Health Expert • May 12, 2014 •

• antiviral,
• influenza,
• pandemic,
• pandemic readiness,
• stockpiling

Associate Professor Nick Wilson and Professor Michael Baker As part of influenza pandemic readiness, NZ has a 32 million dollar stockpile of antiviral drugs. But given recent evidence from a new Cochrane systematic review – NZ policymakers should probably now … Continue reading → … Read More

Monday Micro – Is the new Saudi coronavirus a pandemic in waiting? - Infectious Thoughts

Siouxsie Wiles • May 13, 2013 •

• coronavirus,
• nCoV,
• Pandemic,
• SARS,
• Saudi Arabia,
• virus,
• WHO,
• World Health Organisation

Between November 2002 and July 2003, a novel respiratory virus appeared in South China, spreading first to Hong Kong and going on to infect people in 37 countries around the world. As the virus spread, thousands were quarantined, schools were shut, and many airports implemented thermal screening programmes to stop potentially infected people from getting on planes. By the end … Read More

Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion: sounding alarm for the next pandemic? - Guest Work

Guest Work • Oct 26, 2011 •

• Flu,
• Infectious Diseases,
• Pandemic

By Jesse Toe, doctoral student at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Victoria, Australia. One touch and you’re infected. By the next day your muscles ache, you have a fever and the beginnings of a headache. You don’t know it yet, but you only have a one in three chance of survival and you’ve already infected three other people. Two … Read More

Spam Journalism #81 - MacDoctor

Jim McVeagh • Oct 02, 2010 •

• Contagions,
• H1N1,
• Infectious Diseases,
• Ministry of Health,
• Pandemic,
• Public Health,
• Sciblogs,
• swine flu,
• vaccination,
• vaccines

Spam Journalism: The spurious use of sensational headlines to add spice to an otherwise pointless article I was amused to see this article is the Herald yesterday. Talk about trying to rehash old news… Two more deaths but swine flu cases fall Twenty deaths this year have been swine flu-related but health authorities say the [...] Related posts: … Read More

WHO hits back at conflict of interest claims - Griffin's Gadgets

Peter Griffin • Jun 08, 2010 •

• H1N1,
• Pandemic,
• swine flu,
• World Health Organisation

This just came through from the World Health Organisation, which is clearly smarting after concerns were raised by the British Medical Journal about key pandemic advisors to the WHO having links to pharmaceutical companies that weren’t publicly disclosed. WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION LETTER TO BMJ EDITORS Below you will find a copy of the letter Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General … Read More

Swine flu one year on – Q&A with scientists - Griffin's Gadgets

Peter Griffin • Apr 26, 2010 •

• H1N1,
• Pandemic,
• swine flu

This time a year ago, the media was going big on one particular story – SWINE FLU! News stories today report intensive care units across New Zealand and Australia were on the verge of turning away seriously ill patients during the pandemic, due to a twelve-fold increase in the number of flu patients being put into … Read More

Needle Point - MacDoctor

Jim McVeagh • Oct 25, 2009 •

• Contagions,
• ethics,
• H1N1,
• Infectious Diseases,
• Needles,
• Obama,
• Pandemic,
• politics,
• Sciblogs,
• swine flu,
• vaccination,
• vaccinations,
• world

Obama has declared the Swine Flu epidemic in the US a national emergency. Swine Flu has been a public health emergency since April of this year, but making it a national emergency provides people like Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius quite sweeping powers to bypass most federal rules. I am a little curious as [...] … Read More