Flu plan set to be tested

GUERNSEY must hold its first influenza pandemic emergency exercise by February. 'The UK Department of Health recommends each local area has completed an exercise by February. We are going to observe an exercise in the UK, which we plan to do before the end of the year - it could be anywhere in the south-west. We are looking at conducting our own early next year,' said Home Department emergency planning officer Malcolm Parker.

Mr Parker said he was not sure whether the exercise would be undertaken in practice or theory.

'The cost of the exercise depends how we do it - you don't have to do it using people as patients. We could tabletop the exercise, where we are sat around a table and work through the scenario. It doesn't cost anything but time that way.

'If you go practical, there are costs included. We have a pending meeting with the flu pandemic team to discuss our next move,' he said.

It is estimated that 25% of the UK's population will be affected by a pandemic, with a proportion dying as a result of the illness.

During the past 18 months, a working group, which includes GPs, MSG representatives, dental experts and Education Department members, has met every 12 weeks to discuss the emergency plan.

Lead infection control nurse Elaine Burgess said: 'We have already received personal protection equipment for healthcare workers, which would include GPs and frontline staff at the hospital. We also have a supply of antiviral drugs that are in a locked store,' she said.

The island is currently on a phase three pandemic alert that means there is no or very limited human-to-human transmission.

The working group obtains a majority of its information from the World Health Organisation and as the pandemic alert phases progress, practice and policies will increase on the planning agenda.

'We have got a pandemic plan where patients will be asked to go to certain doctors' surgeries.

'It's basically about segregation and we have allocated GP practices for people with symptoms. The ethos is to keep patients at home and we are looking at training telephonists at the hospital to give advice over the phone.

'In the hospital itself, we have looked at dedicating areas because we don't want to infect more people and we need to keep our A&E open. We will also have dedicated wards for influenza patients,' she said.

n Experts predict a large proportion of the world's population will have no natural immunity to many common flu viruses, creating a pandemic. Without adequate preparation, mortality levels will be high.