JAMES Schluter, lawyer, microbiologist and biochemist, says Australia has failed the swine flu test, and better performance is needed next time to avert disaster.
Schulter is a Holding Redlich lawyer, microbiologist and biochemist who will be addressing the Queensland Safety Conference on 18 June 2009. He says occupational health and safety professionals must take a leading role in preparing for a serious flu outbreak.
Australia has the highest infection rate of any country outside North America. According to Schluter, Australia is lucky because it was tested with what appears to be a ‘mild’ strain of swine flu. If the strain had been more aggressive, 60 to 70% of Australians could be too sick to go to work.
The swine flu case provided a relatively low risk ‘dry run’ on the government’s influenza pandemic plan. Schluter says has revealed significant holes in that plan and a shortage of resources to properly implement it.
Schluter questions the effectiveness of community awareness campaigns surrounding the flu and will tell occupational health and safety professionals at the Queensland Safety Conference that employers must encourage a new workplace culture of infection prevention.
According to Schluter, Australians are relatively inexperienced in terms of flu pandemics, having avoided avian flu and SARS. They tend to underestimate or are ignorant of the basics of infection prevention. For example, Australians struggle into work even when they are sick, increasing occupational health and safety risks during the ‘normal’ flu seasons.
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