VZCZCXRO7859
OO RUEHPB RUEHPT
DE RUEHBY #0952 2960637
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 230637Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2173
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 9623
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 5549
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 2053
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3716
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0146
RUEHBN/AMCONSUL MELBOURNE 6725
RUEHPT/AMCONSUL PERTH 4991
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 4988
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000952 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/IHB, AIAG FOR WINN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA H1N1 RESPONSE: LOWERING THE HEAT 
 
REF: A. CANBERRA 907 
     ¶B. CANBERRA 812 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Australia is slowly decreasing its H1N1 
alert level as flu season ends.  Despite a few minor 
shortcomings with its national vaccine program (ref A), the 
GOA is confident that the current situation is stable and is 
reducing resources committed to managing H1N1.  Based on this 
year's experiences, plans are underway to revise pandemic 
planning.  The Department of Health and Ageing is carefully 
monitoring Northern Hemisphere epidemiological data to assess 
whether pandemic influenza will emerge in any threatening 
form this season.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Econoff met with Gary Lum, Assistant Secretary for 
Emergency Health Management at the Department of Health and 
Ageing (DOHA) on October 13.  Lum has headed the Department's 
National Incident Room throughout the early and middle stages 
of the H1N1 pandemic.  He told Econoff that Australia's state 
and federal health experts were "plussed-up" for the recent 
rollout of the national vaccine plan, but as flu season was 
over in Australia, the GOA is planning to roll back the level 
of resources committed against H1N1 by mid-summer.  Lum said 
that would include folding H1N1 surveillance back into 
regular epidemic surveillance.   Australia has confirmed more 
than 36,000 cases of H1N1 since March, with 185 deaths.  The 
GOA has procured enough H1N1 vaccine to vaccinate all 
Australians, although vaccination is only recommended, not 
mandatory. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Lum said one reason why DOHA was lowering its guard 
was that Australia was getting extremely good epidemiological 
data from U.S. and other Northern Hemisphere sources, and are 
watching that carefully to try and see what events develop 
over the upcoming flu season.  This should provide early 
warning for Australia even with surveillance folded back into 
the routine influenza surveillance system.  At the same time, 
Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Jim Bishop told 
parliamentarians at DOHA Senate Estimates on October 22 that 
the government should not become complacent about H1N1 and 
that a new round of infection could enter Australia over the 
summer. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Lum said there were a few minor problems with the 
rollout of the vaccine plan (ref A), specifically a number of 
allergic reactions to the latex used in the kits and the 
rapid response by a small, vocal anti-vaccination lobby in 
Australia.   Despite those issues, Lum said that government 
was pleased with the progress of the vaccine program, and 
expected human trials on subjects under 9 years of age to 
begin in mid-November. 
 
¶5. (SBU) DOHA is revising the Australian Health Management of 
Pandemic Influenza (AHMPPI) over the next few months, and 
incorporating lessons learned that will then enable the Prime 
Minister and his staff to revise the overall National Action 
Plan on emergency response to better deal with a potential 
second wave of pandemic influenza. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment:  Lum's view was that all these measures, 
along with the relatively low pathogenicity of current H1N1 
strains, gave him a good degree of confidence that the 
chances of a higher-mortality "second wave," and subsequent 
public reaction, were small.  But he stressed that such 
confidence has been proven wrong in the past.  A massive 
second outbreak in the Northern Hemisphere in the next few 
Qsecond outbreak in the Northern Hemisphere in the next few 
weeks would likely reduce the time Australia has to prepare 
itself against a possible reemergence of H1N1.  End Comment. 
 
CLUNE