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Local government will have an important role to play in keeping the country going if a bird-flu pandemic strikes New Zealand, the Christchurch City Council has been told.
Yesterday, the council was briefed by Chief Medical Officer Dr Nigel Millar and Pegasus Health managing director Dr Paul McCormack about national contingency plans if an influenza pandemic struck the country.
McCormack said planning was being done on a worst-case scenario, as it would be easier to scale back any response if a pandemic struck rather than try to increase a response.
Millar stressed the virus that health officials were readying to combat did not yet exist, hence there was no vaccine available.
However, if, as feared, the avian flu virus mutated to a form which could be transferred readily from human to human, its impact could be devastating, Millar said.
Measures put in place to minimise the spread of the virus could mean up to 40 per cent of medical staff would be unavailable to treat patients, a figure likely to coincide with when the greatest number were infected with the flu.
The Ministry of Health estimates if the bird-flu scare did turn into a 1918-style pandemic, 40% of the population could become infected, with a 2% fatality rate. In Canterbury, that could mean 3721 people would die from the disease.
Millar told councillors a pandemic was likely, but its severity was uncertain and its timing was unknown.
A range of measures were being considered to manage such a pandemic, including closing schools and universities, restricting internal travel and closing borders, prohibiting public or private gatherings, and maintaining isolation of any uninfected area.
Disruptive management and control measures might be needed for months, Millar warned.
The council and community boards had an important role to play in maintaining essential services, he said. The community at large also had a vital role to play, as, in a worst-case scenario, people could be left to care for themselves for extended periods of time.
Millar and McCormack said people needed to take heed of warnings, and prepare a cache of essential supplies they would need in an emergency.
Local government will have an important role to play in keeping the country going if a bird-flu pandemic strikes New Zealand, the Christchurch City Council has been told.
Yesterday, the council was briefed by Chief Medical Officer Dr Nigel Millar and Pegasus Health managing director Dr Paul McCormack about national contingency plans if an influenza pandemic struck the country.
McCormack said planning was being done on a worst-case scenario, as it would be easier to scale back any response if a pandemic struck rather than try to increase a response.
Millar stressed the virus that health officials were readying to combat did not yet exist, hence there was no vaccine available.
However, if, as feared, the avian flu virus mutated to a form which could be transferred readily from human to human, its impact could be devastating, Millar said.
Measures put in place to minimise the spread of the virus could mean up to 40 per cent of medical staff would be unavailable to treat patients, a figure likely to coincide with when the greatest number were infected with the flu.
The Ministry of Health estimates if the bird-flu scare did turn into a 1918-style pandemic, 40% of the population could become infected, with a 2% fatality rate. In Canterbury, that could mean 3721 people would die from the disease.
Millar told councillors a pandemic was likely, but its severity was uncertain and its timing was unknown.
A range of measures were being considered to manage such a pandemic, including closing schools and universities, restricting internal travel and closing borders, prohibiting public or private gatherings, and maintaining isolation of any uninfected area.
Disruptive management and control measures might be needed for months, Millar warned.
The council and community boards had an important role to play in maintaining essential services, he said. The community at large also had a vital role to play, as, in a worst-case scenario, people could be left to care for themselves for extended periods of time.
Millar and McCormack said people needed to take heed of warnings, and prepare a cache of essential supplies they would need in an emergency.
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