Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza

1.1 Information collection and analysis

Information will be collected and analysed by the DoHA to answer the following questions:

• What phase is Australia in?
• Are the assumptions that were used for planning still valid?
• What is the current and anticipated impact on health services and the community?
• How effectively have measures been implemented and how effective have they been at reducing spread?

Monitoring of both the international and Australian (domestic) situation is required to answer these questions. The overall plan for information collection and analysis will be described in the Surveillance Annex.

A summary of the key information sources is provided at Appendix I.

Role of health professionals in information collection

Health professionals will assist with the gathering of information, through reporting cases to health authorities, assisting with contact tracing, reporting adverse events associated with the use of antivirals and vaccines, and may report (via surveys) their perceptions of the pandemic and the control measures that are being taken.

Role of the public in information collection

The public will also be a valuable source of information, by reporting illness to health professionals. The public may also report (via surveys) their perceptions of the effectiveness of the measures that are being taken.
Top of page

Phase snapshot: Information collection and analysis

PHASE	HEALTH ACTION
ALERT	Enhance monitoring and vigilance of international situation Prepare policy, processes, infrastructure for Australian surveillance
DELAY	International Surveillance Continue monitoring of the international situation and pandemic planning assumptions Implement monitoring of effectiveness of control measures overseas Australian Surveillance Enhance case detection Implement estimation of anticipated impact and monitoring of public and professional perceptions
CONTAIN	International Surveillance Continue monitoring of international situation and effectiveness of control measures overseas Australian Surveillance Continue case detection, estimation of anticipated impact and monitoring of public perceptions Implement review of assumptions, and effectiveness of control measures in Australia
SUSTAIN	International Surveillance Continue monitoring of international situation and the effectiveness of control measures overseas Australian Surveillance Continue monitoring of Australian phase, impact (current and anticipated), assumptions, effectiveness of control measures in Australia, and public perceptions
CONTROL
RECOVER	International Surveillance Continue monitoring of international situation and the effectiveness of control measures overseas Implement review of assumptions regarding possible next wave Australian Surveillance Continue monitoring for evidence of new wave Implement monitoring of public and professional perceptions regarding recovery of the health system
Linked document	Surveillance Annex (under development)

Note: The same health actions apply for both SUSTAIN and CONTROL for this table.

Top of page

prev page|TOC|next page

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