# 863
The good news is, the Australians are testing their systems, and finding out what breaks before a pandemic arrives. The bad news, things didn't go as well as planned in their drills.
Curiously, the numbers used in this report regarding the number of anticipated fatalities and hospitalizations are much lower than other nations. The most commonly used assumptions here in the United States are a 35% attack rate, a 2% fatality rate, and a 10% hospitalization rate.
Using the Australian population, rounded down to 20 million, and these factors would suggest a severe pandemic could produce 7 million infections, 140,000 deaths and 700,000 hospitalizations.
This from the Herald Sun.
Bird flu plans fail test
A MAJOR exercise has identified gaps in Australia's preparations for a deadly bird flu pandemic.
The nation's medical facilities, communications systems and health workforce were all found wanting in the $4 million test run.
A report on the exercise came amid warnings yesterday that 48,000 Australians could be killed and 150,000 put in hospital in a bird flu pandemic.
Health Minister Tony Abbott said such an outbreak would cause "extreme fear" in the community, adding that about half of all Australians could potentially be treated with anti-viral drugs from the nation's pandemic stockpile.
Operation Cumpston -- conducted last year -- found GPs, pharmacies and primary health providers should be playing a bigger role in influenza pandemic planning.
The report also recommended better planning of infrastructure.
It called for Australia's pandemic planning to be updated, and said the capacity to mount a long-term response had not been tested.
The Federal Government has spent almost $600 million preparing for a bird flu pandemic, but a vaccine is yet to be produced.
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