Human Swine flu - What to do

Members will be aware of the possibility of patients infected with the new influenza strain - H1N1 Influenza 09 (human swine influenza) - attending the surgery, and so this update offers advice on the management of such cases.

More people in Victoria have tested positive to H1N1 Influenza 09. The Federal Government has raised Australia's pandemic alert level to 'contain'. This move to 'contain' recognises that Australia has a small number of swine flu cases and has experienced human-to-human transmission. The aim of this phase is to contain the spread of the virus within Australia. It is important to remember that while the official alert level has been raised, there are still only a small number of confirmed cases in Australia, and the symptoms people are experiencing are relatively mild.

Given the rapidly changing nature of the incident, members should be checking the ADA Inc website and the Commonwealth Government's Health Emergency website regularly for the latest information.

For information about developments in Victoria, including what to do with patients, how to protect staff and yourself, and how to get help, members are advised to monitor these two pages on the Department of Human Services website –

Infectious Diseases – Epidemiology and Surveillance and

Infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Surveillance.

Members should also report any suspected cases immediately by phone to the Communicable Disease Prevention & Control Unit on 1300 651 160 or after hours through the paging service 1300 790 733.