Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza

Introduction - Why plan for an influenza pandemic

The burden of an influenza pandemic could overwhelm a nation's health system. An influenza pandemic also has the capacity to cause economic and societal disruption on a massive scale.¹ For these reasons, the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages all countries to draw up and implement national preparedness plans for an influenza pandemic.²

There is no certainty when the next influenza pandemic will occur but according to the WHO, 'there will be an influenza pandemic, sooner or later'.³ In recent history, two to three pandemics have been recorded every century.

How rapidly the next pandemic will emerge is unclear but it could emerge very quickly with little warning. Currently there are influenza viruses with pandemic potential circulating widely in animals. These viruses occasionally infect humans. This situation could continue for some time, and while this situation remains, there is a risk that a pandemic may develop.

It is also uncertain how severe the next pandemic may be. It could be relatively mild, creating health problems similar to those seen during a very severe influenza season. Alternatively, a highly pathogenic virus could emerge resulting in serious and widespread illness, leading to a large number of deaths and to the disruption of the normal functioning of society for a prolonged period.

If Australia is prepared, we are more able to reduce dramatically the impact of an influenza pandemic by minimising the number of people who become infected, protecting critical infrastructure and essential services in our society and considerably improving the health outcomes for those who are affected. for this reason, governments continue to invest in planning for potential pandemics. Preparing for the next influenza pandemic will provide additional benefits, as improvements in infrastructure can also mitigate the effect of other epidemics or infectious disease threats.

The purpose of pandemic planning within the health sector is to ensure that we are ready whenever the pandemic occurs - ready to assess the situation, ready to make decisions quickly, ready to take action and most importantly ready to work together to reduce the impact and recover as quickly as possible.

A coordinated response across all levels of government namely, Australian, state, territory and local, and across all sectors (for example, transport, power, food, telecommunications, welfare) is required to effectively respond to an influenza pandemic. Health is just one of many sectors that will be involved in the response. The health sector, however, plays a pivotal role within a whole of government response.

1. McKibbin W.J & Sidorenko A.A. Global macroeconomic consequences of pandemic influenza, Lowy Institute for International Policy, February 2006.
2. Resolution of the World Health Assembly WHA 56.19, Prevention and control of influenza pandemics and annual epidemics, 56th WHA, 10th plenary meeting, 28 May 2003.
3. The World Health Report, 2007.

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This information is current for 03 September, 2010
This information was issued on 05 December, 2008