Pacific prepares to combat risk of swine flu outbreak
Updated
Pacific Island nations are preparing to combat the risk of an outbreak of swine flu in the region. More than 80 people have been killed in Mexico after the outbreak of swine flu, and a number of students in New Zealand are suspected of contracting the disease.
Presenter Ian Burrows
Speakers: New Zealand Health Minister Tony Ryall, World Health Organisation Representative to Papua New Guinea Dr Eigil Sorensen, Hong Kong Health Secretary Doctor York Chow
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BURROWS: Blood is being tested from ten students in New Zealand who are suspected of having contracted the human form of the swine flu disease. The infected students from an Auckland high school had just returned from a three week trip to Mexico. The New Zealand Health Minister, Tony Ryall, says some students and their families are under voluntary quarantine at home.
RYALL: The Ministry of Health officials advise me that there is no guarantee that these young people have the swine, but officials believe it is highly likely that they do. We are taking all precautions necessarily to allow for this.
BURROWS: So far they are no reports of outbreaks in any Pacific Island nations, but authorities are on high alert. Dr Eigil Sorensen is the World Health Organisation's representative to Papua New Guinea. He says measures are being rolled out across the country to guard against any outbreaks.
SORENSEN: We are looking at the recommended to the Department of Health to enhance their border control, so that's the immediate risk, but we also increasing the overall surveillance of influenza like illnesses in the country as well as looking at the monitoring any increase in the diseases, especially severe pneumonia, acute respiratory infections in adults.
BURROWS: But he says a lack of understanding of the flu is making it hard to tackle.
SORENSEN: The Swine flu is a new strain of virus which consist of actually a combination of several previous existing viruses, but it's a new strain of virus which in that sense there is no real immunity in the population.
BURROWS: Mr Sorensen says Papua New Guinea and countries across the Pacific are well placed to manage outbreaks... particularly because of past preparations made for the bird flu. He says PNG has enough anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu for up to one thousand people.
SORENSEN: We also have a limited stockpile of personal protective equipment, anti-viral drugs that can be used, which we already have in the country. So I think there is a certain level of preparedness for this.
BURROWS: Suspected cases have also been reported in Canada and France, and a public health emergency is in place in the United States. An Australian medical virologist, Professor Ian Gust, says it's almost inevitable the flu will continue to spread to places like Australia.
GUST: I think it has the potential to spread throughout the world, that is to cause a pandemic. It's a novel strain that the majority of the population have no immunity to and it's clearly has the capacity to spread from person to person.
BURROWS; Screening at airports across Asia and the Pacific is being tightened. In Hong Kong, the Health Secretary, Doctor York Chow, says his government is taking every precaution.
CHOW: We shall heighten the vigilance of our borders, so that particularly those people travelling from the infected places and they come to Hong Kong, they will have advice as well as have check including temperature check when they actually land in Hong Kong.
