DATA COLLECTION OF HOST GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CANBERRA 000659 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO PROG PREL AS SUBJECT: DATA COLLECTION OF HOST GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS RE H1N1 REF: A. SECSTATE 73971 ¶B. CANBERRA 639 AND PREVIOUS ¶1. (SBU) Australia has only undertaken a limited number of the interventions listed in reftel (as reported by Post sitreps since April - ref B). We have listed below the steps Australia has taken and dates they were reported. ¶2. (SBU) Interventions: 4/28/09 Making influenza a notifiable disease NA Emergency declarations (Australia never declared H1N1 an emergency) 4/28/09 Isolation policies NA Quarantine of households where infection identified (Australia never implemented forced quarantines, but relied on voluntary quarantine measures until authorities shifted to PROTECT phase in June.) 5/21/09 School closure (school closures were the responsibility of state and school authorities. We are unaware of any GOA request to close a school.) NA Theater closure NA Dance hall closure NA Other closure NA Staggered business hours to reduce congestion in stores and on transit systems NA Mask ordinances NA Rules forbidding crowding on streetcars NA Private funerals NA Ban on door-to-door sales NA Interventions designed to reduce transmission in the Workplace (Australian government agencies posted flu awareness notices but we are unaware of a specific order to do so) 5/21/09 Protective sequestration of children (GOA only asked that children suspected of infection not attend school) NA Ban on public gatherings NA No-crowding rules in locations other than transit systems NA Community-wide business closures ¶3. (SBU) HEALTH Situation: As reported in reftels, the GOA has not altered their response posture since 17 June, but confirms that all jurisdictions are now compliant with the PROTECT phase of the Australian national pandemic response plan. The Department of HEALTH and Aging continues to monitor the situation, and increasing case numbers and deaths as Australia moves through its seasonal influenza phase have kept H1N1 on the front burner as a public HEALTH issue. Health Minister Roxon told media on July 16 that H1N1 has the potential to kill 6000 Australians as a "worst case CANBERRA 00000659 002 OF 002 scenario". This estimate was based on no intervention including antiviral treatment and vaccines. Australia has ordered 21 million doses of vaccine to be ready in October. Post spoke with Dr. Andrea Foarde at the Department of HEALTH and Ageing National Incident Room for H1N1 on July 17. Foarde is responsible for liasing with Australian hospitals. Foarde said that GOA is working to improve reporting from hospitals in a timely manner but acknowledged that information is still not flowing from hospitals in real time. Current government view is that hospitals are stressed but generally managing the surging case load. She did note that New South Wales hospitals are considering purchasing additional ECMO machines in light of recent use to treat the most severe H1N1 cases (see below). Foarde said GOA is currently exploring whether death rates of H1N1 in other countries have jumped as patients are removed from ventilation support. Foarde also confirmed that H1N1 is largely supplanting the normal Brisbane flu in cases in Australia. ¶4. (SBU) New South Wales HEALTH officials have estimated that approximately 30% of New South Wales population could experience symptoms of Pandemic (H1N1)2009 infection over the next few months as August is usually the month with the largest number of flu cases. New South Wales modeling indicates that there could be a similar numbers of H1N1-related deaths in New South Wales as regularly occur with seasonal influenza each year, but the age profile will differ (around 1000 people die each year from normal seasonal influenza in New South Wales). Nearly 250 people in South Australia will take part in human trials of a Pandemic (H1N1)2009 vaccine this month. If trials go well, a vaccine could be available as early as September. ¶5. (SBU) Six healthy young people in Sydney have been put on cardiac bypass machines because their lungs are too damaged or infected for regular mechanical ventilation. This surge in patients needing cardiac bypass is putting a strain on intensive care units, staff and machines. A hospital official suggested to the press that the number of cases of acute respiratory distress could threaten the capacity of the system, but there was enough existing capacity to handle the current case load. Hospitals were reported to be either deferring all elective procedures or reviewing whether to restrict elective procedures in order to free up resources. New South Wales HEALTH officials reported on July 17 that emergency room presentations with flu-like symptoms are four times higher than the highest seasonal peak in the last six years. In NSW, one-quarter of those assessed by an influenza clinic (set up in all states to handle flu presentations) required anti-influenza medication and ONE in six required referral to a hospital for assessment/treatment. ¶6. (SBU) Case Count: Since the outbreak of H1N1, Australia Q6. (SBU) Case Count: Since the outbreak of H1N1, Australia has confirmed a total of 11962 cases. Public HEALTH officials have estimate that the total number of actual cases exceeds 500,000. As of July 17, there are 31 total fatalities in Australia. 1332 cases have required hospitalization. CLUNE