Review of Australia’s Health Sector Response to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009: Lessons Identified

Chapter 5: Public Health Measures

Table of contents

Rapid development of the new pandemic phase PROTECT showed that Australia has a flexible public health response system.
Changes of case definitions were challenging and resource intensive. The content and rationale for changes could be better communicated to clinicians and laboratories.
Antiviral medications were an effective public health measure for the protection of the vulnerable and the treatment of severe cases.
Communication of infection control messages to the public is important in reducing the risk of infection during all pandemic phases, with the basic messages not changing with the different phases.
Development of generic infection control advice or guidelines for a pandemic to cover all settings should be considered.
Quarantine (home isolation, school closures) as a public health measure is a challenge.
The role of ‘flu clinics’ during pandemics of differing severity needs to be clearly defined.

Text box 5: Public health measures guidance from AHMPPI 2008

Objective

Operational objective 2: Minimise transmission.
- 2.3 Slow the spread in the community.

Purpose

The primary objective of these countermeasures is to reduce transmission, and therefore to reduce the overall number of cases and deaths.
Secondary objectives are to flatten the epidemic peak; to reduce the peak burden on the healthcare system; to permit the completion of final preparations; and to develop and begin production of pandemic vaccine.

Governance

The health sector’s role is to provide advice to government with respect to effectiveness and timing of measures.

This information is current for 17 May, 2012
This information was issued on October, 2011

Level of Pandemic Threat
ALERT Phase