Health clinics poorly prepared for bird flu

Health clinics are ill-prepared for the expected bird flu pandemic, which could kill up to 3700 people in New Zealand and 7.5 million globally, official papers show.

The Government has spent $32.3 million to boost supplies such as medical gowns, masks and anti-flu drugs, but Cabinet papers reveal the primary care sector and other parts of the health system are under-prepared.

Hospitals could not take all the flu patients needing their care.

In papers obtained under the Official Information Act, officials told Health Minister Annette King in January the risk from bird flu "is immediate".

"Primary health does not feature in emergency response planning and preparedness," says a December paper on emergencies, including bird flu, obtained by the Greens.

The Medical Association's general practitioner council chairman, Dr Peter Foley, yesterday confirmed the lack of integrated planning.

"To my knowledge we haven't been involved in any discussions. As with Sars [severe acute respiratory syndrome, in 2003] they didn't involve us till later on.

"We're the first point of contact. They don't come with a label saying 'bird flu'; they come in with other illnesses, like a cough."

But the Health Ministry defended its bird flu planning, including in the primary care sector.

"The planning we're doing is to allow us to manage this as best we can," said a senior public health adviser, Dr Andrea Forde.

Greens health spokeswoman Sue Kedgley said the lack of preparations left New Zealanders vulnerable.

But Ms King said: "We've undertaken everything we've been advised to. For her to say we are not ready is political clap-trap."

The papers indicate the Government plans to address numerous deficiencies, such as the under-preparedness of primary care, a shortage of laboratories and inadequate disease surveillance. But fixing the problem does not start until next month, and next year for some.

The Government in February, at a cost of $26 million, ordered 835,000 treatment courses of anti-flu drug Tamiflu and will have enough for one-fifth of the population.

Researchers expect that 15 to 35 per cent of the population would be infected. Meanwhile, the influenza B outbreak, which has killed three young people and caused high rates of school absenteeism, is continuing to spread in the North Island - despite levelling off in Auckland - but has not yet hit the South Island to the same extent.

Bird flu risk

* 54 deaths since late 2003, all in Asia.
* Most cases are caught from birds. Only in very few is human-to-human transmission suspected.
* Scientists fear the virus could mix with human influenza, in sick humans.
* People would have no immunity to the newly mutated virus, which could sweep round the globe, killing millions.