Dairy cows not the only culprit

Fish and Game is quick to point the finger at dairying as a source of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) without considering the alternatives.

The NZ Ministry of Health Communicable Disease Control Manual (2018) lists cattle, sheep, goats, deer and humans as potential reservoirs of STEC.

JC Paton of the American Society for Microbiology (July 1995) states: ‘‘Surveys have revealed that STEC strains are also prevalent in domestic animals, including sheep, pigs, dogs, goats and cats.’’

Mohammed Y Shobruk, in the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology (March 2015), found in a study of wild birds, both migratory and nonmigratory, that 92 per cent of birds captured and sampled tested positive to various forms of Escherichia. Of 82 samples positive to E.coli, all exhibited resistance to various commonly used antibiotics. His conclusion was that ‘‘wild birds could create a potential threat to human health . . . by transmitting multi-drug resistant bacteria to water streams and other environmental sources’’.

Various other studies support the above conclusions.

It follows from the above that dairy cows are not the only source of these disease-carrying organisms. Human activities such as living on lifestyle blocks with septic tanks and the keeping of various animals as pets can all be implicated, as can the whole wild bird population, including introduced game birds.

W D Wrigley, Leeston

Car immobilisers

Imagine every car (or vehicle) being fitted with a Smart Vehicle Immobiliser (SVI). On activation the vehicle would act as if it is running out of fuel and would slowly, not immediately, come to a halt. Driverless cars would be programmed to pull off the road.

The SVI would be required as part of the vehicle’s warrant of fitness and there would be penalties for operating a car without one. It would work on the ignition system or the fuel system. The police, or possibly some other agency, with appropriate checks, balances and transparent audits to protect the public, would be charged with administering the system.

I understand that the technology is here. Lime e-Scooters have it, albeit without the emphasis on immobilisation. They have GPS (location tracking) and a system of activation.

Safety on public roads is everyone’s concern and it must be accepted that a moving vehicle is a dangerous piece of machinery in the hands of those who are untrained, uncaring, or arrogant/ignorant to the potential of serious injury or death.

If you can balance this against the perceived loss of transportation freedom or civil liberty, maybe you might agree that there is a case for the SVI and there should at least be trials. Lime e-scooters have been unleashed in cities as essentially an uncontrolled experiment and there is room for more responsible approaches.

An SVI system could range from a simple one to a more comprehensive one. At the simple end it could just be used for stolen vehicles, vehicles in police chases, and the operation of a mobile phone whilst the car is moving. At the more complex end it could be linked to a person’s mobile phone or driver’s licence card in terms of allowing access to use the vehicle.

Brian Ward, Richmond

Avoid temptation

Here is my tuppence worth on Christian morality before it is made a crime to defend it.

Original sin left the human race with a ready susceptibility to sexual temptation. This is known as ‘‘concupisence’’. It is a sin against both chastity and charity to deliberately cause others a sexual problem. Sensible people know the difference between discretion and provocation, and sensible people speedily remove themselves from circumstances of sexual temptation. No extra pieces of fabric are necessary.

Moreover, it is deeply embarrassing to persons of honour to be in the presence of people, male/female/other, immodestly dressed, as it is with people aggressively drunk. You speedily assess the situation, and leave the offenders to it. Voila. Take care. It’s a jungle out there.