Posts by Rosemary McDonald
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Access: Zika and microcephaly: things to…, in reply to Thomas Lumley,
Given that we’ve never had a confirmed outbreak of dengue or similar viruses in NZ I think it’s reasonable to behave as if the local mosquitoes are safe,
This is almost entirely down to luck....
file:///C:/Users/User/Desktop/Derraik&Slaney-EcoHealth_2007.pdf
Nonetheless, to date, there has not been a confirmed, indigenously acquired arboviral infection in humans in New Zealand (Derraik and Maguire, 2005). This appears to be entirely fortuitous, as there are no particular characteristics that make the country intrinsically refractory to these viruses (Weinstein, 1994; Weinstein et al., 1997). It is predicted that it is just a matter of time before an arboviral outbreak occurs, most likely from Ross River virus (Weinstein et al., 1995; Weinstein, 1996; Kelly-Hope et al., 2002; Derraik and Calisher, 2004)
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Access: Zika and microcephaly: things to…, in reply to Hilary Stace,
She was in NZ last year and did a great interview on disability on Radio NZ.
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Access: Zika and microcephaly: things to…, in reply to Angela Hart,
I know you can’t rely on information found online
But we can trust MoPI, surely?
MPI's Gilbert was bullish at the forum, saying New Zealand's policies are world-leading and he has all the budget that he needs. "I actually feel very comfortable about resourcing." But there is a change of thinking that is required he adds.
Gilbert says what he would spend more money on proactive targeting of threats. For instance, biosecurity officials now look at the class of clientele that a cruise ship might be arriving with. Are its passengers going to be pinching pennies, carrying ashore fruit and sandwiches they sneaked from the breakfast bar
Cool...MoPI profiles cruise ship passengers.....no self respecting mozzie will hitch a ride in a poor person's luggage.
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Access: Zika and microcephaly: things to…, in reply to George Darroch,
And even a single sighting would mean a massive biosecurity response.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/295770/zika-cases-on-the-rise-in-nz
Routine border inspections at Auckland International Airport have picked up three mosquitos of the type which carry the Zika virus, on three occasions, in the past 12 months.
Ministry for Primary Industries manager of detection technology Brett Hickman said border officials had found Aedes aegypti, which could carry the virus linked to severe birth defects.
Mr Hickman said it was not known exactly how the three Aedes aegypti entered the country.
"As far as an adult is concerned, if it was actually in the airspace within an aircraft our audits show that it would be dead.
"So the other possibility is the fact that it could've been in someone's actual luggage and then when you open the luggage at the airport, it's there."But all's well at Biosecurity NZ...
http://www.oag.govt.nz/2015/biosecurity/docs/biosecurity.pdf
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Hard News: Friday Music: Festive and Unconflicted, in reply to Ian Dalziel,
ahem … Delilah
and you, Sir Dalziel, are the successful applicant for the job of proofreader at the Herald.
;-)
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Hard News: Friday Music: Festive and Unconflicted, in reply to Steve Barnes,
And we can always rely on Winston to explain the metaphor.
What am I to make of that? Steven is a bit of a political Sampson without hair.
(I am, of course assuming that the Herald reporter (Ooh! Look! It's Claire!) means Samson of the Delilha fame!)
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Hard News: Fix up, young men, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
I think it’s bloody confusing when some of us don’t do twitter
Me too...and this is why I find this from(of all people) David Cameron, rather amusing.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/jul/29/david-cameron-apology-radio-twitter
and...OMG!!!...Stephen Hawking did the same...and called David C a pregnant goldfish. (sorry, but where I grew up this was the meaning of that word...we used...some other word...to deliberately offend)
http://news.bfnn.co.uk/prof-stephen-hawking-calls-david-cameron-a-right-twat-on-twitter/
Tweet at your peril.
(PS...bloodstains are really hard to remove once dry. Or heated up.)
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Interesting conversation going on here...no real blood let, yet....but this middle age woman will add her voice to the "this shit has been going on forever" team...and proffer my own tip for women going outside, and hence risking unwelcome sexual attention.
Always wear shoes you can run in.
The "fix" in the title of this thread, for some reason, makes me think of cats....especially toms.
So....http://gangstersout.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/fixing-rcmp.html
and bugger me if it wasn't yet another story about rape.
Carry on....
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A Māori politician once said to me “our people will march to parliament for the foreshore and seabed, land rights, water rights and whatever else is going, but they never pull on their marching boots for our kids.”
I'd be interested to know which politician said that.
And, you're right, the majority of us who marched down Queen Street yesterday were marching for our kids and our grand kids.
I'm European, and every single Maori I have held a conversation with (and there's been a number) says exactly the same thing....the so-called leaders are out of touch.
Yet, hold the power.
I used to be a fan of Native Affairs BTW....once upon a time. The last bastion of in depth current affairs.
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