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PDF printable version of Government creates new Office for National Health Emergencies (PDF 32 KB)

PDF printable version of Health Emergency Preparedness and Response - New Measures (Fact Sheet) (PDF 21 KB)

11 December 2005
ABB163/05

The Commonwealth Government will provide $34.4 million over five years for the creation of a specialist unit within the Department of Health and Ageing to ensure Australia is able to provide a sustained health response in an emergency.

The Office of Health Protection (OHP) will help ensure Australia remains one of the best prepared countries in the world to respond to a national health emergency like an influenza pandemic.

The new Office of Health Protection will

• lead national health activities preparing to respond to a possible pandemic or other health emergency
• manage the national medicines stockpile, including stocking and maintenance of all medicines and protective equipment including antivirals
• develop and manage a policy and legislation framework, including developing proposed National Health Security Legislation and implementing International Health Regulations
• establish principles and plans for support of essential services in the event of a pandemic or other health emergency
• operate an enhanced National Incident Room
• plan and implement strong border control measures aimed at keeping communicable diseases out of the country
• strengthen disease surveillance systems and contact tracing capacity
• build laboratory capacity to deal with existing and emerging communicable diseases
• enhance response to food-borne illness, and
• develop and implement a communication strategy on a possible flu pandemic

Despite efforts so far, more resources are needed to prepare for an act of bioterrorism or other health emergency.

For more information on Australia’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response go to: www.health.gov.au or phone the Public Information Hotline: 1800 004 599

For more information call Mr Abbott's office on ph 02 6277 7220.

Health Emergency Preparedness and Response

New Measures

The Australian Government has announced new funding of an additional $184.8 million over the next five years to significantly boost Australia's capacity to prepare and respond to major health emergencies, including an influenza pandemic. The new money will be used for a range of essential and urgent health measures including:

Establishment of the Office of Health Protection ($34.4m)

The Government will establish a new division within the Department of Health and Ageing - the Office of Health Protection (OHP). The purpose of the OHP will consolidate and build on the work already undertaken by the Government to manage communicable diseases and maintain Australia’s biosecurity. In particular, the OHP will be the group which leads national health preparedness for a possible pandemic or other health emergency.

Purchase of additional antiviral medication and antibiotics ($79.9m)

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends countries stockpile sufficient antivirals for one course for 25% of the population. This measure will bring our stockpile of antivirals to 28% coverage. Increasing our stockpile of antivirals also gives us more options for supporting our neighbours to contain a possible outbreak of bird flu in humans within their borders. Funds will be used to purchase the active ingredient of Tamiflu, known as “bulk powder” to supplement the National Medicines Stockpile of antiviral medicines to be used in the event of an influenza pandemic.

If a pandemic occurs, around half of the people infected who are hospitalised could have complications caused by severe bacterial pneumonia. To ensure we can fight bacterial pneumonia, this measure includes purchase of intravenous (IV) antibiotics for the National Medicines Stockpile.

Purchase of Five Million Doses of H5N1 Influenza Vaccine ($16.6m)

Pandemic influenza vaccination would be an essential component of our response to a pandemic. In the event of a pandemic it will take some months before a vaccine using the specific pandemic strain is available and initial batches will have to be prioritised for workers at high risk.

Clinical trials have recently commenced using the H5N1 strain and preliminary results will be available in early 2006. Expert advice indicates that the current H5N1 vaccine will provide, at minimum, partial protection against an evolved H5 strain and would be a valuable tool in early management of a pandemic. In light of this advice, the Government will be purchasing five million doses of the vaccine as soon as it is found to be safe and effective.

Purchase of additional equipment ($35.7m)

In the event of a pandemic, personal protective equipment (masks, goggles, gloves) will be in short supply globally. This measure will ensure that Australia has sufficient stocks of personal protective equipment for use in the event of a pandemic.

Development of Communication Materials ($7.2m)

Community interest in relation to a possible flu pandemic has been increasing. There has been a significant and consistent demand for information and materials in response to rising awareness of the possibility and impact of a flu pandemic. There is an urgent need to provide clear and accurate messages to the public quickly.

Work is necessary to determine the best means of presenting these messages effectively to allay fears and promote good preventive behaviours. This measure will also identify means for supporting GPs, pharmacists and other health and community service groups in their roles at the front line of requests for information from the concerned public. In preparing for a possible pandemic, effort also needs to be put into ensuring draft materials are on hand, and updated frequently, for rapid production and release in the event of a pandemic occurring.

Expansion and Strengthening of Australia's Influenza Surveillance Networks ($6.5m)

Although our current systems are very effective for surveillance of many infectious diseases, the system needs to be further improved to provide timely surveillance of highly infectious and fast-spreading diseases such as pandemic influenza. Timely surveillance data is critical for the early detection of the disease and is necessary to enable measures such as the use of antivirals to be used to contain and minimise the impact of the disease in Australia.

The first cases of pandemic influenza are likely to present as an influenza-like illness to GPs or emergency departments. The proposed Sentinel Surveillance System (SSS) will broaden the feeder system to deliver timely national data on influenza-like illness from emergency departments, GPs and sentinel hospitals.

The Australian Sentinel Research Network (ASPREN), run by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in association with the University of Adelaide, provides information on influenza-like illness in the community and could provide early identification of influenza outbreaks. As part of the improved surveillance measures, the Government will provide ASPREN with one-off funding of an additional $218,900 for a recruitment and development project to expand and strengthen the current ASPREN network of general practitioners (GPs) across Australia and to enable early identification and reporting of any influenza outbreak. The project is expected to commence in January 2006 and to be completed by June 2006 and will develop the capacity of ASPREN by strengthening the administration, reporting and analysis of current data.

Capacity to Monitor Home Quarantine ($0.4m)

Travellers from high risk areas may introduce a pandemic into Australia. The early detection and containment of the disease is a vital feature of Australia’s response strategy to delay domestic onset of a pandemic and allow time for vaccine production and delivery.

Approximately 5,000 travellers arrive each day into Australia from areas currently considered high risk for eruption of pandemic influenza. When a pandemic risk elevates overseas, border protection measures will be activated and arriving passengers will complete a health declaration form that includes contact details within Australia. Arriving passengers may be required to quarantine themselves at home or 'in site' for up to 7 days to ensure they have passed the incubation period of the disease.

Conduct of a Major Simulation Exercise ($4.1m)

From 2 November to 1 December 2005, the Australian Government conducted a national exercise to test Australia’s preparedness. This was a desk-top exercise of an avian influenza outbreak in chickens with limited transmission from infected poultry to humans (Exercise Eleusis 05). However it had limited scope to assess Australia’s preparedness for a pandemic involving human to human transmission.

The proposed live human exercise will fully test Australia's capability to respond to an actual influenza pandemic involving human to human transmission based on current planning and management of health care and stockpiled resources across jurisdictions.

For more information on Australia's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response go to the Home Page of www.health.gov.au

Public Information Hotline: 1800 004 599
Media Inquiries: 02 6289 5027

December 2005.