Swine Flu

On 11 June 2009, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation raised the level of the pandemic influenza alert from phase 5 to phase 6, indicating the world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic.
As of 06 July 2009, there have been approximately 94,000 laboratory confirmed cases world wide, with 5298 in Australia.
For a current update on the number of confirmed cases in Australia see the Health Emergency Website

What is Swinburne doing?

The Swinburne community is undertaking activities to ensure its preparedness and ability to protect staff, students, reputation and infrastructure in the following ways:

• Developing pandemic response and recovery plans
• Enhancing crisis management and business continuity capability for any emergency
• Increasing awareness of staff and students and encouraging good hygiene practices

Pandemic planning takes place within Swinburne’s existing emergency management framework. Swinburne has a number of policies and resources relevant to pandemic planning that will be reviewed and upgraded as the situation develops.

Has Swinburne cancelled all travel for staff and students?

Swinburne advises all staff and students who are planning to travel overseas to closely monitor the Federal Government’s Foreign Affairs Smartraveller website for travel advisories and refer to the University’s travel policy.

What is Swinburne doing about restricting students arriving from overseas areas known to be the site of swine flu cases?

Swinburne has, and will continue to, communicate with all staff and students who have traveled to or from affected areas. Those who have flu-like symptoms are advised to immediately visit their doctor.

What is Swinburne doing about reducing the spread of germs across the university?

With the general flu season nearly upon us and in line with the plans Swinburne has in place for the current swine flu threat, the University is in a position to step up its cleaning services when and if required.

High risk areas have been identified and public areas used frequently will be cleaned more regularly to prevent the spread of germs.
In the meantime, please help reduce the spread of influenza by taking these steps recommended by health authorities:

• Stay at home if you develop flu-like symptoms and consult your medical practitioner.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Use tissues when coughing and sneezing. Dispose of tissues in a waste receptacle.

What is pandemic Influenza?

A pandemic influenza occurs when a new strain of influenza emerges to which no-one has immunity. The pandemic spreads quickly before a vaccine becomes available, affects a greater number of people and causes far greater sickness and death than a seasonal outbreak of flu.

Has a pandemic influenza ever occurred?

There have been three Influenza Pandemics in the last 100 years suggesting that another pandemic is inevitable, however, neither the timing nor the severity can be predicted.

Pandemics occur every 40 years or so.  Three influenza pandemics occurred during the 20th Century. These were:
1918 – ‘Spanish Flu’
The Spanish flu (H1N1 virus subtype) pandemic spread across the world in three waves in 1918 and 1919 and is estimated to have caused the deaths of between 20 and 40 million people, more than the total number killed in World War l.
1957 – ‘Asian flu’
The Asian flu (H2N2 subtype) spread rapidly around the world. Although infection rates were high (between 20 and 70 per cent), mortality rates were low (between one in 2,000 to one in 10,000 infections). The Asian flu caused between one and four million deaths worldwide.
1968 – ‘Hong Kong flu’
The Hong Kong flu strain (H3N2) descended from the Asian flu strain, and immunity caused by the earlier pandemic may have been a reason for the relatively low number of deaths (less than a million worldwide) caused by this pandemic

How does it differ from seasonal influenza?

The seasonal influenza that occurs each year is caused by strains of influenza virus that are already circulating. This means that there is already a level of immunity in the community. Because we know or can predict which strains are circulating each year, we can also vaccinate people for them.

The symptoms of seasonal influenza can include the following:

• sudden onset of fever 38 degrees Celsius +
• dry cough
• muscle and joint pain
• tiredness/extreme exhaustion
• headache
• sore throat
• stuffy nose

Community impact of a pandemic

The World Health Organisation has adopted a list of phases in which a pandemic is likely to develop to guide planning by governments and organisations. The six pandemic phases can be grouped into three larger periods:

• Inter-pandemic (phases 0 to 2) where a new influenza virus emerges in birds or animals but before any transmission to humans
• Pandemic alert (phases 3 to 5) where the virus spreads to humans but human-to-human transmission is still localised
• Pandemic (phase 6) where the virus is in its final pandemic form, is spreading easily between humans, and is causing widespread illness and possibly death.

A pandemic is also likely to occur in two or three repeat waves (or cycles), each taking around eight to 12 weeks.
In the event of a pandemic reaching Australia we should expect large-scale community, social and business disruption from illness and from the imposition of public health and other emergency measures.  For some periods, only essential services may be available as schools and public venues close and restrictions are placed on public transport and other non-essential services.  Non-essential workplaces may also be closed and employees stood down.

The Swinburne community will be notified of any change in the official pandemic phase in Australian and overseas (currently Global phase 5).

How is it spread?

Pandemic influenza is spread by respiratory secretions in three ways:

• Droplets dispersed through the coughing or sneezing of those infected
• Touching objects contaminated by droplets and then touching your mouth, eyes or nose
• Droplets that are in the air spread across people in enclosed spaces.

Most healthy adults may be able to infect others up to two days before symptoms develop and up to 7 days after becoming sick.  In children the infectious period can be longer.

That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of the pandemic influenza will be specific to the particular strain. However based on previous pandemics symptoms are likely to be...

• the onset of high fever
• headaches
• muscle aches and pains
• excessive tiredness
• coughing
• a sore throat
• a stuffy or runny nose
• stomach symptoms such as nausea and vomiting

The symptoms may take two to seven days to develop and may last for up to a week.

How can people avoid contracting and spreading the influenza?

There are a number of things that people can do to prevent contracting and spreading influenza in the event of a pandemic which include:

• Cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing;
• Discard used tissues properly
• Avoid touching your face with your hands
• Wash your hands frequently
• Stand or sit back 1m from people who are coughing or who may be infected
• Stay home if you are sick, don’t risk it.

Further information and updates :
World Health Organisation Swine Flu page
Advice from the Chief Health Officer of Victoria