The Australian response: pandemic influenza preparedness

Abstract

Australia's preparedness for a potential influenza pandemic involves many players, from individual health carers to interdepartmental government committees. It embraces a wide number of strategies from the management of the disease to facilitating business continuity. The key strategy underlying Australia's planned response is an intensive effort to reduce transmission of the virus. This includes actions to reduce the likelihood of entry of the virus into the country and to contain outbreaks when they occur. Containment will provide time to allow production of a matched vaccine. The health strategies are outlined in the Australian health management plan for pandemic influenza. The plan is accompanied by technical annexes setting out key considerations and guidelines in the areas of clinical management and infection control. National plans present overall strategies and guidance, but the operational details can only be determined by individual states and territories, regions, and the services themselves. Primary health care practices will be on the frontline of an influenza pandemic. Every practice needs a plan that defines the roles of staff, incorporates infection control and staff protection measures, and considers business continuity. Most importantly, a practice needs to know how to implement that plan.

Pandemic Influenza and Community Preparedness

“…A majority of our respondents indicated a willingness to stay home from work with symptoms of influenza-like illness if required as part of a national strategy to stop the spread of infection. During an influenza pandemic, home isolation may be required for up to a week, 37 and our data suggest that this strategy would be supported by the community. Wearing masks is considered a high priority by the Australian government, which has designated significant funding in its pandemic influenza preparedness plans for fitting masks to all health care workers.…”

Influenza pandemic preparedness: motivation for protection among small and medium businesses in Australia

“…However, they lack information relating to strategies to enable the effective dissemination of this information beyond the availability of these plans on websites [19]. Given that the strategy for response to pandemic influenza in Australia is based on containment and reducing transmission of the virus [2], and that key response strategies such as isolation, social distancing, and improved personal hygiene which have been supported by mathematical modelling studies [20] depend on community-wide behaviour modification, additional strategies are required to enable an effective shared response.…”

“…Since late 2005 the risk of pandemic influenza and the need for preparedness have featured reasonably frequently in the news media in Australia, often associated with overseas reports of large outbreaks of infection among birds or small clusters of infection among humans. Strategic plans have been prepared for an outbreak of pandemic influenza associated with human avian influenza infection at national and global levels [1,2]. Many of these plans include mechanisms to facilitate and manage community-wide responses in recognition of the likelihood that pandemic response requirements will exceed the response capacity of health authorities and governments.…”

Transmission of Influenza on International Flights, May 2009

“…Australia's response was rapid, with the introduction of a number of measures as outlined in the Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Infl uenza, 2008 (3). These measures included in-fl ight messages to incoming passengers, use of health declaration cards by all incoming travelers, and mandatory reporting by the pilot on the health status of crew and passengers before landing (4). The novel virus was also listed as a quarantinable disease under Australia's Quarantine Act 1908, which allows for the application of public health powers for intervention (5).…”