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Monthly Archives: July 2022

The Two-Faced Tobacco Industry: Transformation and Cigarillos

Monday, July 25th, 2022 | cooju60p | No Comments

Janet Hoek, Nick Wilson, Jude Ball, Richard Edwards, Phil Gendall*

Hoek J, Wilson N, Ball J, Edwards R, Gendall P. The Two-Faced Tobacco Industry: Transformation and Cigarillos. Public Health Expert Blog. 25 July 2022. https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/the-two-faced-tobacco-industry-transformation-and-cigarillos/

Tobacco companies have made much of their “transformation” vision, which they claim will herald a new smokefree world. Philip Morris International (PMI) has pioneered this rhetoric yet this company’s recent launch of a new, super value, smoked tobacco product: the cigarillo “Chesterfield Leaf”, has led many to ask how launching a cheaper cigarette-like product fits with PMI’s vision of a smoke-free future? In this blog we explore that question and explain why policy makers should continue to treat tobacco companies with extreme suspicion. Continue reading →

Three Waters reforms are needed to protect public health and ensure changes are economically sustainable and efficient

Friday, July 22nd, 2022 | cooju60p | 1 Comment

Dr Tim Chambers, Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Simon Hales, Marnie Prickett, Prof Michael Baker*

Chambers T, Wilson N, Hales S, Prickett M, Baker M. Three Waters reforms are needed to protect public health and ensure changes are economically sustainable and efficient. Public Health Expert Blog. 22 July 2022. https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/three-waters-reforms-are-needed-to-protect-public-health-and-ensure-changes-are-economically-sustainable-and-efficient/

Public discourse on the Three Waters reforms has been dominated by anti-co-governance rhetoric and concerns around privatisation. This debate has drowned out the fundamental problem statement justifying the reforms. In this blog, we re-focus the discussion on the critical need to reform the management of drinking water resources which is currently: 1)  inadequate to protect public health and promote health equity; and 2)  economically unsustainable and inefficient.   Continue reading →

Air pollution in Aotearoa NZ: Five key ways to reduce the massive health and social costs

Thursday, July 21st, 2022 | cooju60p | 1 Comment

Dr John Kerr, Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Simon Hales*

Kerr J, Wilson N, Hales S. Air pollution in Aotearoa NZ: Five key ways to reduce the massive health and social costs. Public Health Expert Blog. 21 July 2022. https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/air-pollution-in-aotearoa-nz-five-key-ways-to-reduce-the-massive-health-and-social-costs/

A new study has estimated the surprisingly high level of harm from air pollution. This annual harm includes the premature deaths of more than 3300 adult New Zealanders and more than 13,100 hospital admissions for respiratory illness and heart disease. The annual social costs resulting from this pollution was estimated at $15.6 billion. Fortunately there are many ways to reduce air pollution and we discuss five key ones in this blog. These range from free public transport to reform of the electricity market to lower costs to citizens. Continue reading →

Removing the nicotine from tobacco: The key component of the current Smokefree Bill

Tuesday, July 12th, 2022 | carra86p | No Comments

Richard Edwards, Janet Hoek, Andrew Waa, Nick Wilson, Lindsay Robertson, Chris Bullen*

Edwards R, Hoek J, Waa A, Wilson N, Robertson L, Bullen C. Removing the nicotine from tobacco: The key component of the current Smokefree Bill. Public Health Expert Blog. 12 July 2022. https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/removing-the-nicotine-from-tobacco-the-key-component-of-the-current-smokefree-bill/

Aotearoa New Zealand’s Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill includes three key policy measures from the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan: denicotinisation of cigarettes and tobacco, large reductions in outlets selling tobacco, and the introduction of a Smokefree Generation policy. In a previous blog we summarised the evidence for and against denicotinisation. This blog updates the evidence, describes why this policy is so pivotal, and discusses implementation issues.

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Monkeypox has arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand: what is the level of risk and how do we manage it?

Monday, July 11th, 2022 | carra86p | No Comments

Constanza Jackson, Amanda Kvalsvig, Jennifer Summers, Michael Baker*

Jackson C, Kvalsvig A, Summers J, Baker M. Monkeypox has arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand: what is the level of risk and how do we manage it? Public Health Expert Blog. 11 July 2022. https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/monkeypox-has-arrived-in-aotearoa-new-zealand-what-is-the-level-of-risk-and-how-do-we-manage-it/

The global outbreak of monkeypox has for the first time caused widespread transmission outside African countries where it is endemic. Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) had its first case diagnosed on Saturday 9 July 2022. This outbreak currently represents a relatively low public health risk to NZ because, while potentially transmissible here, spread is easily contained with case isolation and contact management. However, this outbreak could become an important global health threat for low- and middle-income countries. NZ should consider supporting health initiatives to control this infection in countries where it is an endemic zoonotic disease, and in other countries to eliminate it, including in NZ itself.

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