Fact Sheets
The following Fact Sheets are in HTML and Adobe Acrobat PDF format. If you don't have Acrobat reader it is available from the Adobe website.
- Will vaccines prevent a pandemic
Download PDF version of Will vaccines prevent a pandemic (103kb) - What is pandemic influenza?
Download PDF version of What is pandemic influenza? (123kb) - Understanding Influenza
Download PDF version of Understanding Influenza (136kb) - Stages of a Pandemic
Download PDF version of Stages of a Pandemic (117kb) - Prevention of Influenza transmission
Download PDF version of Prevention of Influenza transmission (124kb) - Development of a Corporate plan
Download PDF version of Development of a Corporate plan (123kb) - Vaccination information
Download PDF version of Vaccination information (130kb) - Psychological issues - managing the fear of the worried well and workplace disquiet of managing emerging issues in the workplace
Download PDF version of Psychological issues - managing the fear of the worried well and workplace disquiet of managing emerging issues in the workplace (126kb) - Airborne Infections
Download PDF version of Airborne Infections (138kb) - Corporate Travel Health Assessments
Download PDF version of Corporate Travel Health Assessments (122kb) - Managing Absenteeism
Download PDF version of Managing Absenteeism (129kb) - Minimising Infectious Diseases in the Workplace
Download PDF version of Minimising Infectious Diseases in the Workplace (127kb)
Related Information
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) – Facts and Stats
- Avian or 'bird' flu is an infectious disease of birds caused by the influenza A virus. It is transferred from 'healthy' wading and migratory birds to the more vulnerable domesticated birds (eg. ducks, chickens).
- There has been no evidence to date of easy infection from bird-to-human, and no confirmed cases of human-to-human spread.
- In all documented cases of humans with bird flu, the infected person had close contact with sick domesticated birds.
- The number of human cases linked to the current bird flu outbreaks is 125, from which 64 deaths have resulted. (09/11/05, World Health Organisation)
- The major concern with the avian virus is that—if given enough opportunities—it will change into a new virus that is highly infectious to humans and easily spread from person to person. This could lead to a worldwide outbreak (pandemic).
- Symptoms of bird flu in humans may range from typical flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches) to eye infections, pneumonia, and other severe and life-threatening complications.
- No vaccine is currently available to protect humans against the H5N1 avian virus that is being seen in Asia.
- The current antiviral medicines, which are used successfully to treat human flu, would be used in the treatment of bird flu.
Pandemics
- A pandemic is a sudden outbreak of a disease (eg. flu) that becomes very widespread and affects a whole region, a continent, or the world.
- It is more than 35 years since the last flu pandemic and experts agree that we are long overdue.
- Pandemics usually affect 25% of the population—in Australia, depending on availability of a vaccine and treatments, this could mean 13 000 to 44 000 deaths and 57 900 to 148 000 hospitalisations in 6 to 8 weeks.
- During a pandemic, supply chains to business may be cut, absenteeism will increase significantly due to sickness and the need to take time off to care for others—some businesses may be forced to close certain services, particularly those that have high public presence or where people tend to congregate.
