New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science

PHF Science is a New Zealand government-owned research organisation dedicated to the health, wellbeing and safety of our communities. Specialising in public health and forensic sciences, we monitor disease, help ensure safe food and water, reduce harm from drugs, support the justice system and more. Our science powers innovations and solutions to help New Zealand prosper and grow. We use advanced laboratory methods, genomics, surveillance infrastructure and real-time data integration to protect New Zealand from emerging infectious disease threats.

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Students and staff queue to receive antibiotics at the UK University of Kent after an outbreak of meningitis caused the deaths of two people. Carl Court/Getty Images

Recent outbreaks highlight the risks of bacterial meningitis – and the need to vaccinate

Una Ren, New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science; Nigel French, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University, and Sarah Hannah, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

Teens and young adults are more likely to be asymptomatic carriers of the bacterium that cause meningococcal disease, making university students a high-risk group.
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Antibiotic use likely fuelled the rise of a ‘superbug’ in NZ – genomics offers a defence against the next threat

Rhys Thomas White, New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science; Juliet Elvy, New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science; Kristin Dyet, New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science; Maria Hepi, New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science; Nigel French, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University, and Sarah Bakker, New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science

Over-subscription of a topical antibiotic likely led to the emergence of a superbug which is now the leading cause of resistant infections.

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