Fed: Australia prepared to deal with swine flu outbreak

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2009
Fed: Australia prepared to deal with swine flu outbreak

CANBERRA, April 27 AAP - Australia is well prepared to deal with a potentially deadly
swine flu outbreak if one occurs, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) says.

The new influenza strain, feared to have killed 86 people in Mexico and infected 20
in the United States, has "pandemic potential", the World Health Organisation has warned.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand government has said 10 local students who had just returned
from Mexico have tested positive for influenza A and are believed "likely" to have contracted
swine flu.

AMA president Rosanna Capolingua says while the new virus poses a serious risk, the
nation's health system is equipped to deal with it.

"There is certainly communication networks, there is a store of Tamiflu, the antiviral
agent, that's been kept in Australia as well," Dr Capolingua told ABC Radio on Monday.

"There's been suggestions of fever tents, how to decamp patients from primary care
into isolation areas, how the hospitals would cope.

"There's been quite a lot of planning done in the past and preparation for any of these
sorts of circumstances."

One of Australia's top influenza experts, virologist Alan Hampson, said while swine
flu didn't appear to be as unpredictable as avian flu, it was quite different to regular
human influenza viruses.

"It is sufficiently different to be able to readily infect people and probably overcome
existing immunity to existing H1 viruses," he said.

The disease could already be in Australia, Mr Hampson said.

"It's very hard to screen for influenza coming into the country because what we do
know is that people can be infected and not show the signs of disease in the early stages,
but can be spreading the disease now," he said.

AAP bsb/sn

KEYWORD: MED FLU AUST

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