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ABORIGINAL and Torres Strait Islander people had a five times higher risk of death during the swine flu pandemic than non-indigenous Australians and experts at an international workshop say there are lessons to be learnt.
Indigenous communities were among the most vulnerable during the 2009 pandemic suffering higher rates of infection and severity of the H1N1 (swine flu).
Despite being only 2.5 per cent of the population, they accounted for 17 per cent of swine flu-related hospital admissions and 12 per cent of deaths.
At the two-day workshop in Cairns, 50 experts are examining the experiences of indigenous people and hearing first-hand their ideas on how to prevent, detect and manage pandemic influenza.
"To our dismay the National Pandemic Influenza Plan, released in 2010, did not even list indigenous people as a special risk group," Prof Adrian Miller from Southern Cross University said.
"This workshop is an opportunity to hear from indigenous communities about their experiences of pandemic influenza, and to learn what worked to protect some communities."
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Indigenous communities were among the most vulnerable during the 2009 pandemic suffering higher rates of infection and severity of the H1N1 (swine flu).
Despite being only 2.5 per cent of the population, they accounted for 17 per cent of swine flu-related hospital admissions and 12 per cent of deaths.
At the two-day workshop in Cairns, 50 experts are examining the experiences of indigenous people and hearing first-hand their ideas on how to prevent, detect and manage pandemic influenza.
"To our dismay the National Pandemic Influenza Plan, released in 2010, did not even list indigenous people as a special risk group," Prof Adrian Miller from Southern Cross University said.
"This workshop is an opportunity to hear from indigenous communities about their experiences of pandemic influenza, and to learn what worked to protect some communities."
...
