Our Changing World: Training our immune systems
science health 31 minutes ago
While tuberculosis is not a major health issue in New Zealand, worldwide it remains the leading infectious disease killer.
The vaccine against tuberculosis, called BCG, was first developed in France more than 100 years ago using a strain of bacteria that lost its disease-causing ability. Scientists refer to this as a live attenuated vaccine.
On Our Changing World, the Malaghan Institute's Dr Kerry Hilligan explains to Claire Concannon how this old vaccine is teaching researchers new tricks.
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RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Friends and colleagues remember Takutai Tarsh Kemp
Takutai Tarsh Kemp died on Thursday morning, aged 50. Photo: Supplied/ Te Pāti Māori Friends and colleagues of Takutai Tarsh Kemp say she was a "sister" and "buddy" who has left behind a "remarkable" legacy. Kemp, Te Pāti Māori MP for Tāmaki Makaurau, died in the early hours of Thursday morning aged 50. Friend and Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere urged Kemp to stand for Parliament. He said Kemp began to feel run down toward the end of her 2023 campaign, but wanted a chance to represent her people. Tamihere, at the Hoani Waititi Marae in West Auckland, told Morning Report Kemp was a big part of a "tight knit" community. "I was always in admiration of her work, and getting our international hip hop artists to even beat the best in the US," an emotional Tamihere said. "She had a remarkable journey of service to our youth communities in the South of the Auckland area. "And then over the pandemic we rested shoulder-to-shoulder for three long years - when others were in lockdown we had to get out there and do business." Tamihere said Kemp was a sister to him, "like Te Pāti Māori is a whānau". He said she was diagnosed last year with "serious kidney problems". "She battled remarkably and none of us - even her whānau - knew of the possibility of her passing away under dialysis. Her legacy is absolute an commitment to our people regardless of what other people said, she just believed." Another friend and colleague of Kemp's said the two "had a lot of laughs" and had "done a lot of crazy things" over the years, and her death has come as a shock. Papakura Marae chief executive Tony Kake said he had known Kemp since she was a high schooler at Rosehill College, and the two worked side-by-side for much of their careers. Kake said she was his "buddy" when they served on the district health board and offered him support when they both took the top jobs at Manurewa and Papakura maraes. "She was also really good in terms of supporting Pae Tiaki, which is over 20 years old [and] is a group that serves our community and do community dinners and Christmas lunches every year, and a whole lot of activities." Manurewa Marae is a crucial part of the wider Auckland marae network, which Kake said Kemp laid the foundation for. "She was instrumental in getting the Tāmaki Herenga Waka collective of marae off the ground. She's a key advocate for that... marae not being competitive against each other, but just all working together." Kake said she took hip hop in New Zealand "to the world" and led groups onto an international stage, culminating in her being appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2021, for services to street dance and youth. Wreaths on the House seat of Te Pāti Māori MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith As Kemp was an electorate MP, her death means a by-election will need to be held. There were 44,095 registered voters in the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate. The Speaker of the House will publish a notice of vacancy in the New Zealand Gazette notifying the House of the vacancy. The prime minister will announce the date of the by-election. After the notice has been published in the Gazette , the governor-general will issue a writ within 21 days, instructing the chief electoral officer to conduct a by-election. Labour MP Peeni Henare, who narrowly lost to Kemp in 2023, said it was too soon to give any thought to that, referencing a Māori saying that "the body is still warm". Labour's Māori caucus co-chair Willie Jackson said the party would not be talking about a by-election at all, until the appropriate time. "This is a time to grieve for Tarsh, for Te Pāti Māori, and for our people of South Auckland. We just want to remember her and pay the appropriate tributes." There were currently 123 seats in Parliament, an overhang of three due to Te Pāti Māori picking up two more seats than it would otherwise have from its share of the party vote, and National picking up one extra due to the Port Waikato by-election. If Henare were to re-contest the seat and win, Labour would bring in an extra MP from the party list, as the number of list MPs is calculated prior to the general election. On Friday morning Kemp will be formally welcomed onto Hoani Waititi Marae, where she will lie for one night. Then on Saturday she will return home, to Opaea Marae in Taihape, before being laid to rest on Tuesday. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
Melatonin, ADHD medication and magic mushrooms - what are NZ's new changes in access to them?
Access to melatonin, psilocybin and ADHD treatment is changing. Photo: AFP / File / RNZ illustration Explainer - The government has changed regulations on several medications in the past fortnight. Here's what you need to know about melatonin, ADHD medicine and medicinal psilocybin access. Melatonin, which is used to treat sleeping problems, has up until now been tightly restricted in New Zealand, unlike many other countries. But it will soon be available over the counter at pharmacies, Associate Health Minister David Seymour said last week . It will be available in pharmacies as pills up to 5mg in packs with up to 10 days' supply, or pills up to 3mg. "Modified release doses" - pills, capsules, gels and medical devices which allow the drug to be administered over a specific period - could also be available with dosages of up to 2mg. Melatonin will remain prescription-only for children and adolescents , "following expert clinical advice to ensure proper oversight when used by younger patients," Seymour said. Melatonin is used to treat sleep disorders. Photo: Quin Tauetau/RNZ Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in your brain that helps regulate sleep cycles. It tends to decrease as we get older. Supplements are taken to help those with insomnia or other sleeping problems. "Most countries in the world allow you to buy it," Seymour said, noting Kiwis would often buy it on trips overseas and take it back home despite it being restricted here. "That makes no sense." One Auckland mother told RNZ recently that melatonin was "life saving" and a "game-changer" for her 10-year-old son with autism. Still, not everyone is convinced that it works. Studies have so far shown melatonin to be a "dud" in terms of effectiveness, Dr David Reith, an associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Otago, told RNZ last year. "The studies indicate it gets you to sleep 15 minutes quicker. But not that it keeps you asleep, improves the quality of your sleep, or increases the amount of time you sleep." Watch: David Seymour on changes to melatonin and psilocybin access It will take a little more time to see it on your chemist's shelf. Seymour said he called on the melatonin manufacturers of the world "to apply to bring their products into our country." "We are entirely dependent on the manufacturers to apply to have specific products available in New Zealand. The market dried up because it was so restricted nobody wanted to sell here. "But when we did this with pseudoephedrine it was a matter of months before the products were on the shelves and I hope we can beat that record." GPs and nurse practitioners will soon be able to diagnose and prescribe medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, to adults age 18 and over. The changes affect the stimulant medicines methylphenidate, dexamfetamine and lisdexamfetamine, also sold under various brand names. Medsafe and Pharmac announced the changes on Tuesday . Until now, it has required a written recommendation from a psychiatrist or paediatrician to start prescribing ADHD medications, a process which can take months. "I have heard stories of many people with ADHD who have been unable to get a diagnosis and treatment in a timely manner because of long wait items and costs associated with seeing a specialist," Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said in announcing the change . Children and teenagers 17 and younger will be able to get prescriptions from nurse practitioners who work in mental health services as well as psychiatrists and paediatricians. Dr Anna Skinner, the Chief Clinical Advisor for Primary Care at Health New Zealand, told Checkpoint that the change would help eliminate barriers for people to get treatment. "People have been accessing private psychiatry at considerable personal costs," she said. Ritalin is one of several drugs that treat ADHD. Photo: CC 2.0 Health agencies have set the start date at 1 February 2026 to address potential supply issues related to methylphenidate or Ritalin, and to give more time for workforce preparation. However, not all GPs and nurse practitioners will be equipped to carry out the work immediately, so it will be important to talk to your physician about your options, Pharmac said. The assessments will not be done in your typical 15-minute GP visit and will possibly require multiple visits to specialised staff, Skinner said. "It's certainly not a 15-minute diagnosis so it's not something that everybody will be able to access the morning after the changes." In making the announcement Doocey said it was important to have consistency as the policy changes. "The Ministry of Health is working with sector representatives to develop a clinical principles framework for the assessment and treatment of ADHD. This will ensure there is quality and consistency for supporting patients with ADHD in New Zealand." Psilocybin, a chemical from certain mushrooms, has been used to treat depression. Photo: Pixabay Psilocybin is a chemical obtained from certain kinds of mushrooms. It's been used in spiritual rituals, recreationally and as medicine over the years - and picked up the tag "magic mushrooms". It's also become a possible treatment for depression, as psilocybin is believed to interact with serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which regulates mood and other bodily functions and is sometimes called "the happiness chemical". It will still be an unapproved medicine but available for clinical treatment for the first time outside of trials. "Psilocybin is a medicine that can treat untreatable depression," Seymour said in making the announcement. "It was first researched in the 1950s and '60s and more recently there's been extensive research and approvals by the FDA in the United States to be able to use these types of medicines." Australia made a similar move to allow prescriptions of it in clinical settings two years ago. However, initially its use will be very limited in New Zealand. Only one person at the moment in all of New Zealand - psychiatrist Dr Cameron Lacey, based in Christchurch. Speaking to RNZ recently he said it had taken "a long time, a lot of energy and perseverance" to get to the approval stage, which had taken around four years. The treatment isn't cheap in other countries, however - Dr Lacey said it could run from NZ$16,500 to NZ$40,000 for the course of psychotherapy and psilocybin sessions. He hoped it would be cheaper when it comes to New Zealand. "I'm hopeful we can work with Health New Zealand to create a funding pathway for those who have failed to respond to current standard treatments and endure significant symptoms to be able to get access to this treatment." The latest data from the New Zealand Drug Foundation shows the use of psychedelics - which includes substances such as LSD, psilocybin and ketamine - has doubled in the past six years. Dr Lacey will operate under strict reporting and record-keeping requirements, Seymour said. He hoped more psychiatrists would apply to use it. "If a doctor believes psilocybin can help, they should have the tools to try." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16 hours ago
- RNZ News
Death of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp brings parliament together
te ao Maori 22 minutes ago The sudden death of MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp in the early hours of this morning has brought members from across the house together today. Flags in the capital have been flying at half mast for the Te Pati Maori MP for Tamaki Makarau, who was at parliament just yesterday. Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday, revealed she was diagnosed with kidney disease last year. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch reports.
