Latest news with #PublicHealthCommunicationCentre
1News
3 days ago
- Health
- 1News
Contaminated chicken: Officials urge caution over call for action
Too many people are still ending up sick and in hospital from contaminated fresh chicken meat, public health professionals say. New analysis released by the Public Health Communication Centre (PHCC) on Thursday shows hospitalisation rates for campylobacter infection have increased by almost 70% in 17 years. The study found contaminated fresh chicken meat remained the dominant source, causing an estimated 77% of infections. But the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has disputed the figures and is accusing the researchers of scaremongering. The PHCC study noted that, in 2007, regulatory measures were introduced to reduce contamination levels in fresh chicken meat tested in processing plants. Rates of both hospitalisation and notification halved in just a few months as a result. But since 2008, contaminated chicken in New Zealand caused more than 600,000 symptomatic illnesses, over 9000 hospitalisations, at least 60 deaths and around $1.4 billion in economic costs. ADVERTISEMENT Lead author, University of Otago professor Michael Baker, said that in 2023, the year with the most recent data, there were nearly a thousand hospitalisations. "By any means this is a very consequential health problem and we feel it needs a much more vigorous response." Lead author, University of Otago professor Michael Baker, says the number of hospitalisations caused by contaminated chicken meat is a very consequential health problem. (Source: Supplied) Government agencies were "too complacent" about the increasing rates of campylobacter infection caused by contaminated chicken, he added. "If you saw a 70% rise in our most common foodborne disease surely you'd be putting a lot of effort into investigating that to figure out what's going on, and I'm not aware of any effort going into that. One of the major problems that we're seeing is our agencies have become very complacent about this infection." The government should consider a formal inquiry into this serious, long-term regulatory failure, Baker said. "The large Havelock North waterborne outbreak of campylobacter infection [in 2016] resulted in an exhaustive inquiry and a complete reorganisation of the drinking water supply sector. That common source outbreak caused about 7570 cases. By comparison, the 'common source' epidemic caused by contaminated chicken meat results in the equivalent of a Havelock North-sized outbreak every three months in NZ, or 80 such outbreaks since 2008." But Food Safety's deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle disagreed with the PHCC's analysis, arguing that between 2006 and 2020 reported rates of foodborne campylobacter infections had halved. These figures were based on public notifications of infections provided by the health system, he said. ADVERTISEMENT "In 2020 New Zealand Food Safety set the target of reducing the rate by a further 20 percent. This milestone was reached at the end of 2024, when rates of foodborne campylobacter infections acquired in New Zealand fell to 70 cases per 100,000. The drop in infection was thanks to a "concerted effort over many years" from government, scientists and industry throughout the supply chain, he said. "New Zealand has made considerable reductions in campylobacter infections. We keep an open mind about changes that can further reduce campylobacteria infection, which is a serious foodborne illness, but will not consider changes that are not founded on good evidence." Arbuckle accepted more people were ending up in hospital with campylobacter but says that was partly because they had put off going to the GP and got sicker, he said. He also agreed that campylobacteriosis was "the most common, significant foodborne illness in New Zealand". But he said data suggested "a continued downward reduction due to the sustained efforts between industry, health authorities, the regulator and other parts of the sector such as retail". "The prevalence [of campylobacteriosis] is reducing, it's not where people would like it to be, but some of the content in this report is simply erroneous and alarmist, particularly the comments about deaths attributed - the simple fact is that ... since 2007 we've had three recorded cases of death where campylobacteriosis was the principle single contributing factor, not 60 as he [Baker] suggests. ADVERTISEMENT "If New Zealand was experiencing the level of deaths directly attributable to campylobacteriosis at the numbers that the authors suggest, there would be an outcry." But Baker said that deaths from campylobacter infection were generally poorly diagnosed and recorded. By looking at hospital discharge data, however, the researchers were able to get an indication of deaths in hospital with 60 reported deaths for patients with a discharge diagnosis of campylobacter infection as the principal or additional diagnosis over the 14-year period from 2008 to 2021, an average of 4.3 per year. An additional estimated 12 deaths from Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) from this source took the total to 68 in the 17-year period, or four per year. 'Unnecessarily alarmist' In a statement, Poultry Industry Association executive director Michael Brooks said he agreed the paper was "unnecessarily alarmist". "The poultry industry works closely with NZ Food Safety and met their set targets to further reduce campylobacter by 20% by 2024," he said. "We have also met the standards of the National Microbial Database. NZ Food Safety assesses that Michael Baker's paper has significant limitations and relies on several incorrect assumptions and unsupported estimates to reach its conclusions." The study's co-author, University of Otago Professor Nick Wilson defended their research on Morning Report, saying hospitalisation data is the most reliable source to understand what's happening with this "epidemic". ADVERTISEMENT "They're [MPI] focusing on the wrong data. You need to take a broad comprehensive picture that includes looking at the hospitalisations and deaths. Hospitalisations are far more reliable then the data sources that they're focusing on," he said. "They're just not taking a proper health perspective. You'd expect that a watchdog that's meant to be protecting public health and protecting food safety, it [MPI] just doesn't have a health focus." MPI looks like they are protecting their own reputation, Wilson said. "This is a health problem... You need health experts. It's out of their ballpark." By Rachel Helyer Donaldson of
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Ministry of Health reviewing campylobacter data after scaremongering accusations
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the research included studies dating back to 1988 that may not reflect the current situation. Photo: 123RF The Ministry of Health is reviewing campylobacter hospitalisation data, after new research found the rate of hospitalisation had jumped nearly 70 percent in 17 years. Analysis released by the Public Health Communication Centre found contaminated chicken was mostly to blame, causing nearly 80 percent of infections, but the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) disputed the figures and accused the researchers of scaremongering. Deputy director-general of Food Safety - which sits within MPI - Vincent Arbuckle admitted hospitalisations had increased, but told Morning Report infection rates were dropping. Food Safety was working with the Ministry of Health to understand what was causing more hospitalisations, he said. A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the research relied on a range of assumptions to determine "the overall burden of disease attributed to campylobacter", which included studies using data back to 1988. That may not reflect the current situation, they said, but the ministry and the Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science (PHF) were "undertaking a review of the data that our agencies hold relating to campylobacter and hospitalisation", the spokesperson said. The review sought to determine whether the assumptions the PHCC research relied on were valid. It would be completed within the next few months, subject to resource, prioritisation and availability of information, the ministry spokesperson said. Several factors could cause a rise in hospitalisations, they added. "Early access to healthcare, when required, plays a key role in managing the effects of campylobacter - such as dehydration - and preventing the more severe symptoms, which lead to hospitalisations. "There is work underway to increase access to primary care." PHF has been approached for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Researchers accused of scaremongering over campylobacter hospitalisation, death rates
Too many people are still ending up sick and in hospital from contaminated fresh chicken meat, public health professionals say. New analysis released by the Public Health Communication Centre (PHCC) on Thursday shows hospitalisation rates for campylobacter infection have increased by almost 70% in 17 years. The study found contaminated fresh chicken meat remained the dominant source, causing an estimated 77% of infections. But the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has disputed the figures and is accusing the researchers of scaremongering. The PHCC study noted that, in 2007, regulatory measures were introduced to reduce contamination levels in fresh chicken meat tested in processing plants. Rates of both hospitalisation and notification halved in just a few months as a result. But since 2008, contaminated chicken in New Zealand caused more than 600,000 symptomatic illnesses, over 9000 hospitalisations, at least 60 deaths and around $1.4 billion in economic costs. Lead author, University of Otago professor Michael Baker, said that in 2023, the year with the most recent data, there were nearly a thousand hospitalisations. "By any means this is a very consequential health problem and we feel it needs a much more vigorous response." Government agencies were "too complacent" about the increasing rates of campylobacter infection caused by contaminated chicken, he added. "If you saw a 70% rise in our most common foodborne disease surely you'd be putting a lot of effort into investigating that to figure out what's going on, and I'm not aware of any effort going into that. One of the major problems that we're seeing is our agencies have become very complacent about this infection." The government should consider a formal inquiry into this serious, long-term regulatory failure, Baker said. "The large Havelock North waterborne outbreak of campylobacter infection [in 2016] resulted in an exhaustive inquiry and a complete reorganisation of the drinking water supply sector. That common source outbreak caused about 7570 cases. By comparison, the 'common source' epidemic caused by contaminated chicken meat results in the equivalent of a Havelock North-sized outbreak every three months in NZ, or 80 such outbreaks since 2008." But Food Safety's deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle disagreed with the PHCC's analysis, arguing that between 2006 and 2020 reported rates of foodborne campylobacter infections had halved. These figures were based on public notifications of infections provided by the health system, he said. "In 2020 New Zealand Food Safety set the target of reducing the rate by a further 20%. This milestone was reached at the end of 2024, when rates of foodborne campylobacter infections acquired in New Zealand fell to 70 cases per 100,000. The drop in infection was thanks to a "concerted effort over many years" from government, scientists and industry throughout the supply chain, he said. "New Zealand has made considerable reductions in campylobacter infections. We keep an open mind about changes that can further reduce campylobacteria infection, which is a serious foodborne illness, but will not consider changes that are not founded on good evidence." Arbuckle accepted more people were ending up in hospital with campylobacter but says that was partly because they had put off going to the GP and got sicker, he said. He also agreed that campylobacteriosis was "the most common, significant foodborne illness in New Zealand". But he said data suggested "a continued downward reduction due to the sustained efforts between industry, health authorities, the regulator and other parts of the sector such as retail". "The prevalence [of campylobacteriosis] is reducing, it's not where people would like it to be, but some of the content in this report is simply erroneous and alarmist, particularly the comments about deaths attributed - the simple fact is that ... since 2007 we've had three recorded cases of death where campylobacteriosis was the principle single contributing factor, not 60 as he [Baker] suggests. "If New Zealand was experiencing the level of deaths directly attributable to campylobacteriosis at the numbers that the authors suggest, there would be an outcry." But Baker said that deaths from campylobacter infection were generally poorly diagnosed and recorded. By looking at hospital discharge data, however, the researchers were able to get an indication of deaths in hospital with 60 reported deaths for patients with a discharge diagnosis of campylobacter infection as the principal or additional diagnosis over the 14-year period from 2008 to 2021, an average of 4.3 per year. An additional estimated 12 deaths from Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) from this source took the total to 68 in the 17-year period, or four per year. In a statement, Poultry Industry Association executive director Michael Brooks said he agreed the paper was "unnecessarily alarmist". "The poultry industry works closely with NZ Food Safety and met their set targets to further reduce campylobacter by 20% by 2024," he said. "We have also met the standards of the National Microbial Database. NZ Food Safety assesses that Michael Baker's paper has significant limitations and relies on several incorrect assumptions and unsupported estimates to reach its conclusions." The study's co-author, University of Otago Professor Nick Wilson defended their research on Morning Report, saying hospitalisation data is the most reliable source to understand what's happening with this "epidemic". "They're [MPI] focusing on the wrong data. You need to take a broad comprehensive picture that includes looking at the hospitalisations and deaths. Hospitalisations are far more reliable then the data sources that they're focusing on," he said. "They're just not taking a proper health perspective. You'd expect that a watchdog that's meant to be protecting public health and protecting food safety, it [MPI] just doesn't have a health focus." MPI looks like they are protecting their own reputation, Prof Wilson said. "This is a health problem... You need health experts. It's out of their ballpark."
Scoop
16-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
New Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines Challenge Outdated Advice
We all want the most up-to-date information to help us make informed choices for ourselves and our families. This is why today Alcohol Healthwatch have just posted the most recent evidence-based low-risk drinking guidelines on their website. New Zealand's drinking guidelines are out of date and do not align with research showing there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, particularly for cancer risk. Information obtained by RNZ shows the alcohol industry has worked to pause a review of the official low-risk drinking guidelines for New Zealand. These guidelines have not been updated since their release in 2011. " Quality, evidence-based drinking guidelines are crucial to help people understand the risk from alcohol, and evidence shows risk is present even at low levels of alcohol consumption," says Andrew Galloway, Executive Director of Alcohol Healthwatch. "Low-risk drinking guidelines are a tool for individuals but also for health practitioners, (like GPs and emergency department staff) to use these when discussing alcohol use with their patients." Alcohol industry lobbyists were exposed by RNZ requesting that information about the review of the New Zealand low-risk drinking guidelines and links to other countries' guidelines be removed from the Health NZ website. The alcohol industry has a track record of opposing effective health policies. As a recent Public Health Communication Centre briefing on the rising influence of big business in policy making states: "t he alcohol industry profits when they impede effective policies, while individuals, wh ānau / families and taxpayers bear the costs, which fall disproportionately on Māori and low-income communities." A recent poll shows the majority of New Zealanders agree the alcohol industry should have no place in developing alcohol policy. "As the official New Zealand low-risk drinking guidelines are out of date, and a review of the guidelines has been paused, we thought we'd offer the New Zealand public the most recent, credible and evidence-based guidelines. People in Aotearoa New Zealand deserve to know the risks from alcohol, our nation's most harmful drug ."
The Spinoff
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Spinoff
Disposable vape ban begins as regulations tighten again
Starting today, single-use vapes are outlawed, advertising and displays severely restricted, and promotions banned. The new rules have young vapers in their sights, writes Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. Strict new vaping rules kick in today From today, it is illegal to sell or supply disposable vapes in Aotearoa, as sweeping new restrictions on how vaping products are marketed and displayed also come into force. General retailers like dairies can no longer display vapes at the counter, vape stores must keep all products out of public view, and online retailers are barred from showing images of vaping gear. Promotions, loyalty schemes and giveaways are banned. RNZ's Nik Dirga has all the details here. These changes build on a first wave of reforms introduced in December, including stiffer penalties for selling to minors and location restrictions near schools. Associate health minister Casey Costello said the changes are designed to target the cheap, brightly packaged disposables favoured by teenagers. 'We are getting rid of vapes that are most popular among young people, and that can only be positive,' she said. Experts cautiously optimistic but stress enforcement Public health researchers have welcomed the new measures, comparing them to past initiatives to reduce youth smoking. 'Logically, parallel measures that greatly reduce young people's exposure to vaping products will have a similar effect, helping put vapes 'out of sight, and out of mind',' according to a briefing paper published by the Public Health Communication Centre. One of the ban's targets is the psychological hold of disposables on young people. Talking to The Spinoff's Alex Casey in 2022, fashion student Jessica Kitchen observed that her peers prefer them because they 'can kid themselves they're not addicted' when they're not buying refillable vapes. However, experts agree that enforcement will make or break the policy. 'Youth vaping rates in New Zealand are among the highest in the world,' Dr Jude Ball, one of the briefing paper's authors, told The Post's Stewart Sowman-Lund (paywalled). 'If these measures are going to work, the Government needs to implement robust enforcement and monitoring to ensure the law delivers on its promise.' Vape waste: a growing environmental crisis The ban on disposables is not just about public health. Around 844 million vapes are discarded globally each year, according to a UN report based on 2020 data. Five years later, the real number is likely even larger. In New Zealand, has vape litter become disturbingly common, with beach clean-ups reporting a sharp rise in vape and e-cigarette components. These products are an e-waste nightmare: each device combines toxic nicotine residue, plastic, and lithium-ion batteries that can spark fires in rubbish trucks or leach chemicals into the environment, Alex Casey wrote. While industry-led recycling initiatives like Vapo's VapeCycle exist, they remain niche. For most users, there's no easy way to safely dispose of vapes. Comparing the NZ and Australian approach While the rules on buying and selling vapes in New Zealand are now a lot tighter, they're still weak compared to Australia. There, vape sales are restricted to pharmacies, with customers required to speak to a pharmacist about their vape use before purchase. Vapes are sold in plain packaging, and the only available flavours are mint, menthol and tobacco. While most Australian health experts support the strict anti-vaping regulations, some warn they could backfire. A recent University of Queensland study found New Zealand's more permissive regulations may have driven faster declines in smoking rates than the Australian model. Between 2016 and 2023 adult daily smoking rates in New Zealand dropped by 10% per year, while Australia's decline was only half that. 'The larger decline in smoking in New Zealand closely mirrors vaping rates: in 2023, 9.7% of New Zealand adults vaped daily, compared to only 3.5% of Australian adults,' said emeritus professor Wayne Hall from UQ's National Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research.
