Sally Furniss
Well-known member
:tiphat: Treyfish
Pandemic exercise to test quarantine plans
Amanda Cameron
acameron@nzdoctor.co.nz
“New arrivals” suspected of having pandemic influenza will be triaged in a gate lounge at Auckland airport as part of a Government exercise later this month.
The two-day exercise, dubbed “Exercise Spring Fever”, will test the Ministry of Health’s strategy for keeping pandemic influenza out of the country.
Passengers screened at airport
On the first day of the exercise, 29 October, Auckland International Airport will stage the mock arrival of an airplane from South Asia reported to be carrying passengers suspected of having pandemic influenza, says exercise director John Gardner.
Denied immediate entry to New Zealand, the passengers and crew – role played by volunteers from a local sports club – will be shepherded into a gate lounge where they will be screened for signs of the disease.
Destination hospital or quarantine
People with any flu-like symptoms will, in theory, be taken to Middlemore Hospital, whereas as those who do not need immediate medical attention will, in theory, be taken to a nearby hotel for an eight-day quarantine period, says Mr Gardner, who is the ministry’s senior advisor for border health protection.
The health screen will be carried out by a team of public health nurses and a medical officer from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service’s border management team.
Quarantine “war game”
The day after the border management exercise, a team will investigate whether the ministry’s quarantine plans are feasible during a table-top exercise at the Grand Chancellor Hotel in Mangere.
Using a “war game” technique, the team will pull apart different aspects of the quarantine plans – such as transport, catering, security, medical support – to identify any problems and possible solutions.
“Warts and all” exercise
Exercise Spring Fever has attracted international attention and observers from Oceania, Asia and the South West Pacific are coming to Auckland to watch what happens.
However, the exercise is not about impressing anyone but about putting New Zealand’s border management and quarantine plans through their paces, Mr Gardner says.
“This is not a show pony exercise – we’re trying to find what will work for us,” he says. “It’s not going to be smooth and clever. It’s warts and all.”
Spring Fever third pandemic exercise
As well as the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, the exercise will involve several other agencies, such as the police, customs, MAF, biosecurity, immigration, and aviation security.
Exercise Spring Fever is the third in a series to test New Zealand’s response to a pandemic. It follows Exercise Cruickshank held in May 2007 and Exercise Makgill in November 2006.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/news?article=95e71860-50db-4970-9b6b-816dac0582cf
Pandemic exercise to test quarantine plans
Amanda Cameron
acameron@nzdoctor.co.nz
“New arrivals” suspected of having pandemic influenza will be triaged in a gate lounge at Auckland airport as part of a Government exercise later this month.
The two-day exercise, dubbed “Exercise Spring Fever”, will test the Ministry of Health’s strategy for keeping pandemic influenza out of the country.
Passengers screened at airport
On the first day of the exercise, 29 October, Auckland International Airport will stage the mock arrival of an airplane from South Asia reported to be carrying passengers suspected of having pandemic influenza, says exercise director John Gardner.
Denied immediate entry to New Zealand, the passengers and crew – role played by volunteers from a local sports club – will be shepherded into a gate lounge where they will be screened for signs of the disease.
Destination hospital or quarantine
People with any flu-like symptoms will, in theory, be taken to Middlemore Hospital, whereas as those who do not need immediate medical attention will, in theory, be taken to a nearby hotel for an eight-day quarantine period, says Mr Gardner, who is the ministry’s senior advisor for border health protection.
The health screen will be carried out by a team of public health nurses and a medical officer from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service’s border management team.
Quarantine “war game”
The day after the border management exercise, a team will investigate whether the ministry’s quarantine plans are feasible during a table-top exercise at the Grand Chancellor Hotel in Mangere.
Using a “war game” technique, the team will pull apart different aspects of the quarantine plans – such as transport, catering, security, medical support – to identify any problems and possible solutions.
“Warts and all” exercise
Exercise Spring Fever has attracted international attention and observers from Oceania, Asia and the South West Pacific are coming to Auckland to watch what happens.
However, the exercise is not about impressing anyone but about putting New Zealand’s border management and quarantine plans through their paces, Mr Gardner says.
“This is not a show pony exercise – we’re trying to find what will work for us,” he says. “It’s not going to be smooth and clever. It’s warts and all.”
Spring Fever third pandemic exercise
As well as the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, the exercise will involve several other agencies, such as the police, customs, MAF, biosecurity, immigration, and aviation security.
Exercise Spring Fever is the third in a series to test New Zealand’s response to a pandemic. It follows Exercise Cruickshank held in May 2007 and Exercise Makgill in November 2006.
http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/news?article=95e71860-50db-4970-9b6b-816dac0582cf
