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