breaking news bird flu found in japan, page-11

panic to grip public
- Low levels of training for health professionals;
- Inadequate levels of infection control to provide a safe environment for patients seeking care or staff providing it;
- Insufficient high containment laboratory facilities to test safely for the pandemic strain;
- Lack of trained and equipped ambulance offices;
- Lack of emergency communication capability.


"They say there has been very little planning in DHBs and the primary health sector generally for a pandemic and that few DHBs devote sufficient resource to emergency planning. Given that doctors, nurses and the primary health sector generally would be at the frontline for treating people in any pandemic, this is a real concern.

"While the first stocks of new anti-viral drugs have arrived and more are on order, we only have enough to treat 1.7 percent of the population. And the original 20.000 anti-viral treatments in stockpile passed their expiry date in January this year.

"How are we going to ration a limited supply of anti-viral medication? Who would be given priority? And where are our plans for isolating, treating and transporting large numbers of highly infectious people, or coping with overcrowded and understaffed hospitals?

"The papers warn that 'critical clinical supplies' of protective masks, gowns and intravenous fluids, would be quickly exhausted in a pandemic and difficult to replace.