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Yearly Archives: 2020

Getting Through Together: Ethical Values for a Pandemic

Friday, February 14th, 2020 | tedla55p | 2 Comments

Ruth Cunningham, Charlotte Paul, Andrew Moore

Public health responses to infectious diseases such as COVID-19 require us to draw on our common humanity and be explicit about our values. Recognising this will help us make good decisions in difficult situations so that, for example, the need to impose restrictive measures and to protect ourselves does not conflict with fairness, respect, and neighbourliness.  In Aotearoa/NZ, Getting Through Together already provides a statement of shared values which can be used to guide a wide range of responses.

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NZ Should Prepare for a Potentially Severe Global Coronavirus Pandemic

Thursday, February 6th, 2020 | Nick Wilson | 3 Comments

Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Michael Baker

In this blog we briefly summarise our assessment of the highly uncertain new coronavirus threat. Given its potential to become a severe and prolonged global pandemic, a precautionary response now means activating all components of our pandemic plan, with a particular focus on ‘keep it out’. NZ has many natural and institutional advantages in managing this major health and economic threat. Now is the time for maximum proactivity.

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A preventable measles epidemic: Lessons for reforming public health in NZ

Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 | tedla55p | 1 Comment

Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick Wilson, Louise Delany, Prof Richard Edwards, Prof Philippa Howden-Chapman

The current national measles epidemic in New Zealand is amongst the largest we have experienced in the last 40 years. It can be linked to the problems created by long-term erosion and fragmentation of national public health capacity. Fortunately the present Health and Disability System Review provides an opportunity to describe and build the kind of public health capacity needed to manage measles, pandemics and other population health threats. We argue for consolidating a range of dispersed public health activities into a strong national agency, Public Health Aotearoa, to take responsibility for the multiple public health challenges faced by NZ.

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What does the novel coronavirus epidemic mean for New Zealand?

Sunday, January 26th, 2020 | Nick Wilson | No Comments

Professor Michael Baker

This blog post reproduces a Sunday Star Times opinion piece (26/1/2020) by this author on the current coronavirus situation. It also explores what New Zealand might do in response to protect both its own citizens and people living in those Pacific Island nations where the major transport links are through New Zealand airports.

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Tobacco Excise Taxes and the Smokefree 2025 Goal: Some Ways Forward

Thursday, January 16th, 2020 | tedla55p | No Comments

Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards, George Thomson, Andrew Waa, Nick Wilson

Debate over tobacco tax increases has intensified as research indicates potentially conflicting policy directions. On the one hand, excise tax increases continue to stimulate quit attempts among smokers yet, on the other hand, they may lead to financial hardship for some smokers and increase retail crime. In this blog, we explore how allocating a proportion of tobacco tax revenue to assist smokers, and funding other complementary measures, could help avoid unintended outcomes and support continuation of an effective policy intervention.

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