Australia has moved to a new pandemic flu phase called PROTECT, reflecting that the disease, commonly known as swine flu, is not as severe for the general population as originally envisaged. The overwhelming majority of people are making a quick and full recovery. You can find further information on the new PROTECT phase at www.healthemergency.gov.au.
In recent years QUT has planned how to respond to an influenza pandemic and continues to finalise the organisation, communication and implementation of the university's plans.
Questions and answers for the current swine flu situation
What is QUT doing?
With the recent closure of some primary schools and childcare centres in Queensland due to cases of swine flu, has QUT’s response to this situation changed?
Is Caboolture campus being used as a flu clinic?
Has QUT cancelled all travel for staff and students?
What is QUT doing about reducing the spread of germs across the university?
What is QUT doing about restricting students arriving from overseas areas known to be the site of swine flu cases?
Will staff/students travelling overseas on QUT business be covered by the university's travel insurance policy if they become ill as a result of swine flu?
If the staff/students arrive at their overseas destination to find the conference has been cancelled due to swine flu, will they be covered by QUT's insurance policy?
‘Be Aware, Be Protected, Save a Life’
What is pandemic Influenza?
How does it differ from seasonal and avian influenza?
Has a pandemic influenza ever occurred?
How does it develop? – The Pandemic Phases
How is it spread?
What are the symptoms?
Possible complications
How can people avoid contracting and spreading the influenza?
Current Australia & Overseas Threat
What is QUT doing?
The QUT community is undertaking activities to ensure its preparedness and ability to protect staff, students, reputation and infrastructure in the following ways:
- Developing pandemic response and recovery plans
- Enhancing crisis management and business continuity capability for any emergency
- Increasing awareness of staff and students and encouraging good hygiene practices
- Developing appropriate policy and protocols
Pandemic planning takes place within QUT’s existing risk management and business continuity planning frameworks. QUT has a number of policies and resources relevant to pandemic planning that will be reviewed and upgraded as the situation develops. Find out more by visiting What QUT is Doing?
With the recent closure of some primary schools and childcare centres in Queensland due to cases of swine flu, has QUT’s response to this situation changed?
QUT's response remains the same. We are continuing preparations and maintaining enhanced general hygiene activities. We also appreciate that some staff may be disrupted by school closures and other external pandemic precautions and will support them accordingly. On advice from health authorities, staff who are also impacted parents need to make every effort to keep their children at home during the period of centre closures and avoid major gatherings e.g. sporting events, shopping malls.
Is Caboolture campus being used as a flu clinic?
Queensland Health have begun preparations to mobilise the use of the K Block Nursing Facility on Caboolture campus as part of its management response to Swine Influenza. Find out more about the Caboolture campus flu clinic.
Has QUT cancelled all travel for staff and students?
No, not at this stage. However, we advise all staff and students who are planning to travel overseas to closely monitor the Federal Government’s Foreign Affairs Smartraveller 
website for travel advisories and refer to the university’s travel protocols.
What is QUT doing about reducing the spread of germs across the university?
With the general flu season nearly upon us and in line with the plans QUT has in place for the current swine flu threat, the university is stepping up its cleaning services.
High risk areas have been indentified and public areas used frequently will be cleaned more regularly to prevent the spread of germs.
Recommended actions relating to cleaning at local levels across the university will be advised in a day or two.
In the meantime, please help reduce the spread of influenza by taking these steps recommended by health authorities:
- Stay at home if you develop flu-like symptoms and consult your medical practitioner.
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Use tissues when coughing and sneezing. Dispose of tissues in a waste receptacle.
What is QUT doing about restricting students arriving from overseas areas known to be the site of swine flu cases?
QUT, through its international division, is seeking to communicate with all incoming staff and students who have travelled to the United States, Canada, Panama or Japan in the last two to three weeks and who have flu-like symptoms to immediately visit their doctor.
Will staff/students travelling overseas on QUT business be covered by the university's travel insurance policy if they become ill as a result of swine flu?
As long as travel by QUT staff and students is approved and in accordance with QUT's Travel Protocol and Policy, they will be fully covered if they contract swine flu while travelling and need medical treatment.
If the staff/students arrive at their overseas destination to find the conference has been cancelled due to swine flu, will they be covered by QUT's insurance policy?
Insurance will cover the cost of rescheduling the flights etc to bring them back home early; however if the staff/students arrive at their destination and they are concerned about swine flu, and the conference organisers are going ahead with the event, then insurance will not cover the cost of rescheduling flights if they chose to come back home early.
What is pandemic Influenza?
A pandemic influenza occurs when a new strain of influenza emerges to which no-one has immunity. The pandemic spreads quickly before a vaccine becomes available, affects a greater number of people and causes far greater sickness and death than a seasonal outbreak of flu.
A pandemic is likely to occur in a number of waves of up to 12 weeks duration over a period of 12-18 months. There will be wide spread illness and death. The economic and social impacts of a pandemic are disproportionate to any other kind of disaster and can lead to world wide economic recession.
There have been three Influenza Pandemics in the last 100 years suggesting that another pandemic is inevitable, however, neither the timing nor the severity can be predicted.
Further information can be found in the Pandemic brochure (PDF, 191KB).
How does it differ from seasonal and avian influenza?
The seasonal influenza that occurs each year is caused by strains of influenza virus that are already circulating. This means that there is already a level of immunity in the community. Because we know or can predict which strains are circulating each year, we can also vaccinate people for them.
The symptoms of seasonal influenza can include the following:
- sudden onset of fever 38 degrees Celsius +
- dry cough
- muscle and joint pain
- tiredness/extreme exhaustion
- headache
- sore throat
- stuffy nose
H1N1 influenza (or swine flu) is different to seasonal influenza as it is an influenza that causes disease in pigs and humans. There are many strains of influenza with the H1N1 strain causing concern worldwide. This strain is transferable to humans that come into contact with infected animals or people.
Has a pandemic influenza ever occurred?
Pandemics occur every 40 years or so. Three influenza pandemics occurred during the 20th Century. These were:
1918 – ‘Spanish Flu’
The Spanish flu (H1N1 virus subtype) pandemic spread across the world in three waves in 1918 and 1919 and is estimated to have caused the deaths of between 20 and 40 million people, more than the total number killed in World War l. The highest number of deaths were in young and healthy people aged 15 to 35 years. The Spanish flu did not reach Australia until 1919, partly as a result of strict naval quarantine. By the end of 1919, around 11,500 Australians, mostly young adults, had died of the flu.
1957 – ‘Asian flu’
The Asian flu (H2N2 subtype) spread rapidly around the world. Although infection rates were high (between 20 and 70 per cent), mortality rates were low (between one in 2,000 to one in 10,000 infections). Mortality patterns during the pandemic were closer to those associated with seasonal influenza, with the elderly and infants most affected. The Asian flu caused between one and four million deaths worldwide.
1968 – ‘Hong Kong flu’
The Hong Kong flu strain (H3N2) descended from the Asian flu strain, and immunity caused by the earlier pandemic may have been a reason for the relatively low number of deaths (less than a million worldwide) caused by this pandemic. In Australia, mortality rates were similar to those caused by the Asian influenza and were greatest in those over the age of 65 years.
How does it develop? – The Pandemic Phases
The World Health Organisation has adopted a list of phases in which a pandemic is likely to develop to guide planning by governments and organisations. The six pandemic phases can be grouped into three larger periods:
- Inter-pandemic (phases 0 to 2) where a new influenza virus emerges in birds or animals but before any transmission to humans
- Pandemic alert (phases 3 to 5) where the virus spreads to humans but human-to-human transmission is still localised
- Pandemic (phase 6) where the virus is in its final pandemic form, is spreading easily between humans, and is causing widespread illness and possibly death.
The Australian Government has also identified four sub-phases of the pandemic (phase 6) period to summarise the likely pattern once the pandemic reaches Australia. The table of pandemic phases (PDF, 315KB) gives a detailed description of each phase, in Australia and overseas.
QUT has framed its pandemic crisis plan around the six recognised global phases. The QUT community will be notified of any change in the official pandemic phase (currently Global phase 5, Australia 0) in Australian and overseas.
How is it spread?
Pandemic influenza is spread by respiratory secretions in three ways:
- Droplets dispersed through the coughing or sneezing of those infected
- Touching objects contaminated by droplets and then touching your mouth, eyes or nose
- Droplets that are in the air spread across people in enclosed spaces.
Most healthy adults may be able to infect others up to two days before symptoms develop and up to 7 days after becoming sick. In children the infectious period can be longer.
That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of the pandemic influenza will be specific to the particular strain. However based on previous pandemics symptoms are likely to be...
- the onset of high fever
- headaches
- muscle aches and pains
- excessive tiredness
- coughing
- a sore throat
- a stuffy or runny nose
- stomach symptoms such as nausea and vomiting
The symptoms may take two to seven days to develop and may last for up to a week.
Possible Complications
In some cases the influenza can lead to several longer lasting conditions including:
- bacterial Pneumonia
- ear Infections
- sinus Infections
- dehydration
- worsening of current medical conditions involving the heart or lungs
- death.
How can people avoid contracting and spreading the influenza?
There are a number of things that people can do to prevent contracting and spreading influenza in the event of a pandemic which include:
- Cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing and sneezing;
- Discard used tissues properly
- Avoid touching your face with your hands
- Wash your hands frequently
- Stand or sit back 1m from people who are coughing or who may be infected
- Stay home if you are sick, don’t risk it.
Current Australia & Overseas Threat
Here in Australia –
No cases of the H1N1 influenza virus, either in pigs or in humans, have to date been reported in Australia. The most immediate threat of the virus spreading to Australia would come from the arrival of infected people that could transmit the virus.
Overseas –
The World Health Organisation website provides up-to-date information about the spread of the H1N1 virus, and the possibility of it developing into a pandemic virus strain.