Outcome 15: Biosecurity and Emergency Response > Part 2 Performance Information

Exercise Cumpston 06 successfully validated Australia's plans for responding to an influenza pandemic and was nominated and short-listed for the United Nations Public Service Award. International observers contributed to the evaluation of Exercise Cumpston 06 and in June 2007, the Department released a report on the exercise which is accessible at <www.health.gov.au>.

The revised Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza provides an accessible, detailed national health action plan to guide Australia's response to pandemic influenza. A series of annexes complement the plan by providing more detailed technical information and guidance for health professionals on the management of pandemic influenza. The plan and its annexes were publicly available in 2006–07.

The Department maintained effective working relationships with jurisdictions through the Australian Health Protection Committee and its subcommittees including the Communicable Disease Network Australia, the Public Health Laboratory Network and the Environmental Health Committee.

The Department maintains its lead role in national and international surveillance and diagnostic networks for the analysis and assessment of emerging threats. It commenced publishing a fortnightly international communicable disease surveillance report in October 2006 to increase awareness of major overseas disease outbreaks that may pose health threats to Australians.

Situation reports on avian influenza were also published regularly. These reports provide Commonwealth departments and state and territory jurisdictions with timely monitoring of a potential pandemic threat and details of any human-to-human transmission of the virus.

The Department provided timely and appropriate responses to national and international developments in communicable diseases, bioterrorism and natural disasters. The Department continued to enhance preparedness for communicable disease outbreaks and bioterrorist events by funding additional equipment and training for public health laboratories.

The National Incident Room was in a constant state of readiness and responded to a number of health emergencies, including the Yogyakarta plane crash.

The Department's systems, policies and actions have minimised the adverse impact of communicable disease outbreaks and biosecurity incidents on the community.

Working with the states and territories through the Communicable Disease Network Australia, the Department actioned and contained all outbreaks including measles and legionellosis. This included contact tracing of potentially infected people to ensure that there was no further spread of communicable diseases in Australia.

Nationally coordinated responses to outbreaks of food borne gastroenteritis were undertaken by OzFoodNet which helped reduce the spread of the illnesses and their economic impact on Australia.

The OzFoodNet food borne disease surveillance system was fully operational across Australia and detected clusters of food borne illness. In 2006–07, OzFoodNet coordinated the investigation of 13 multi-jurisdictional outbreaks, including hepatitis A, salmonellosis and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. thereby limiting their spread.

OzFoodNet data was used in the development of national standards to improve the safety of a range of primary products as well as identifying priority areas for enforcement action by state and territory authorities.

The Department provided accurate information and advice to Government agencies, state and territory authorities, academia, the World Health Organization and overseas governments on a wide variety of topics.

The Department maintained in-house scientific and technical expertise in its medical officers and its Clinical and Scientific Unit. The unit closely monitors research on emerging diseases and maintains a database and library of related papers.

The Department initiated new, and maintained existing networks during the year, most notably through the Australian Health Protection Committee and its sub-committees and through close links with the World Health Organization.

Research projects funded in 2006–07 included air quality research commissioned through the National Health and Medical Research Council, and surveys on food borne disease.

The Department prepared a range of communication materials to educate and raise the public's awareness of health protection issues. Some of these materials have been released, others have been prepared for release when, and if, required. These included a bird flu brochure and Flu and You posters and brochures, distributed to general practices and pharmacies and materials for use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in northern Australia.

The Department also funded the Food Safety Information Council which raised community understanding of basic food safety messages. Over the course of Food Safety Week in November 2006, food safety messages reached an estimated audience of over 48 million. Community education to assist friends and relatives to provide safe food for residents in aged care facilities was also funded.

The Department commissioned research on a range of topics including air quality in and around road tunnels in Australia. The Department coordinated a national survey on the incidence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in the food supply and surveys of salmonella and campylobacter in the poultry supply chain to provide an evidence basis for standards development by Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

The Department also commissioned timely research to better define communicable disease vulnerabilities to Australia prior to disease outbreaks and to advance the understanding of influenza prevention and treatments.

The Department provided opportunities for stakeholder participation through a variety of mechanisms:

• the Australian Health Protection Committee which is a subcommittee of the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council. The committee brings together the chief health officers of each jurisdiction and health emergency experts to provide advice on national approaches to public health emergencies, communicable disease threats and environmental threats to public health;
• industry forums providing stakeholders with opportunities for consultation on major policy development and implementation. For example, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, border agencies and State and Territory governments were consulted about human quarantine issues;
• extensive sector engagement on the COAG Report on the Regulation and Control of Harmful Biological Agents, including briefing sessions of peak bodies, universities, public and private diagnostic laboratories and facilities; and
• a large range of counterterrorism committees in which the Department had significant involvement and consultation with these committees and their activities.