Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza

7.2 Facilities and equipment

Health care services and health care resources such as flu clinics, clinical and laboratory services and supplies, and medicines are also key resources.

Resources for the containment of the disease include protective equipment and antivirals, and vaccines. The rate of usage of these resources will be monitored throughout the pandemic. This information will be useful in tailoring the response and ensuring that resources are used in the most effective and sustainable manner.

Personal protection (use of protective equipment in certain settings and adoption of good hygiene practices by everyone) and antiviral medication will have to be used to protect those most at risk of infection, and to treat individuals who become infected and require medical intervention. Personal protection and antivirals will have an important role throughout a pandemic from the first emergence of the pandemic virus overseas to the final phases of controlling the pandemic virus in Australia. In the event of a pandemic, antivirals in the NMS will be distributed by state and territory public health authorities.

Appendices G and H provide a detailed description of how personal protective equipment (PPE) and antivirals will be used during a pandemic to reduce transmission and, in the case of antivirals, appropriately treat people who have been infected with pandemic influenza.

Vaccines against pandemic influenza are likely to be extremely useful in bringing a pandemic under control and protecting those most at risk from infection, however, it is likely to take many months before sufficient vaccine will be available to control the pandemic and protect all Australians. Part 1, Section C2.4 outlines plans to develop and distribute vaccines against pandemic influenza.

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