Stringent nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as lockdowns and border closures are not currently recommended for pandemic influenza control. New Zealand used these NPIs to eliminate coronavirus disease 2019 during its first wave. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed a parallel and unprecedented reduction of influenza and other respiratory viral infections in 2020. This finding supports the use of these NPIs for controlling pandemic influenza and other severe respiratory viral threats.

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to establish the incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in children aged 0-14 years. Methods: The New Zealand Paediatric Surveillance Unit sought monthly reporting of diabetes mellitus cases from paediatricians. All resident children aged below 15 years (1996 census risk population 832,000) who met the criteria for diagnosis of diabetes mellitus from 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2000 were included. The average annual incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes was calculated, as were incidence rates according to age, sex, region, ethnicity and season. Case ascertainment was estimated using hospital admission data. Results: There were 315 valid reports of new cases of diabetes. Of these, 298 (94.6%) had type 1 diabetes, 12 (3.8%) had type 2 diabetes and five had other specified types of diabetes. The average annual incidence of type 1 diabetes was 17.9/100,000 (95% CI: 15.9-20/100,000). Children in the South Island had a 1.5-fold higher incidence than children in the North Island, which was largely accounted for by the variation in incidence with ethnicity, in that the European rate was 4.5 times higher than the Maori rate. The average annual incidence of type 2 diabetes was 0.84/100,000 (95% CI: 0.37-1.26/100,000). Estimated case ascertainment rate was 95.2%. Conclusions/interpretation: Type 1 diabetes incidence has doubled over the past three decades. The geographical differences previously described have persisted, and are largely explained by the ethnic variation in incidence. This population includes young adolescents with type 2 diabetes. These findings are in keeping with international trends.

The modified questionnaire has good internal consistency. The difference in mean scores between the three groups, and correlations with maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms, lend construct validity to the scale. The Vulnerable Baby Scale appears to be suitable for assessing maternal perceptions of the vulnerability of their young babies in clinical and research settings although further research, with larger samples, may be necessary to fully establish the scale's psychometric properties.

Newborn genetic screening to identify infants at risk for type 1 diabetes is not associated with elevated levels of maternal anxiety, depressive symptoms, or heightened perceptions of infant vulnerability. However, responses to subjective assessment questions suggest that it is possible that more subtle effects on mothers do occur, and this requires further investigation.

Stringent nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as lockdowns and border closures are not currently recommended for pandemic influenza control. New Zealand used these NPIs to eliminate coronavirus disease 2019 during its first wave. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed a parallel and unprecedented reduction of influenza and other respiratory viral infections in 2020. This finding supports the use of these NPIs for controlling pandemic influenza and other severe respiratory viral threats.

The association between the clinician's assessment, core outcome variables and MRI findings in this study was limited. This indicates that clinical and laboratory findings are inadequate diagnostic tools for the assessment of hip arthritis when compared with MRI as the gold standard.

No abstract

New Zealand (NZ)’s elimination of community transmission of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in May 2020, due to stringent COVID-19 countermeasures, provided a rare opportunity to assess the impact of border restrictions and relaxations on common respiratory viral infections over the subsequent two-years. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed that border closure to most non-residents, and mandatory government-managed isolation and quarantine on arrival for those allowed to enter, appeared to be effective in keeping influenza and RSV infections out of the NZ community. Partial border relaxations through quarantine free travel with Australia and other countries were associated, within weeks, with importation of RSV and influenza into NZ in 2021 and 2022. Border restrictions did not have effect on community transmission of other respiratory viruses such as rhinovirus and parainfluenza virus type 1. These data can inform future pandemic influenza preparedness as well as provide insights into effective strategies to plan and model the impact of seasonal influenza, RSV, and other respiratory viral infections.