Ireland in trial to combat flu pandemic

EU exerciseIreland will take part in a trial next month of Europe-wide measures to identify and combat a possible flu pandemic.

The simulation exercise will examine how national agencies in the 25 EU member states and Norway, Iceland, Liechenstein and Switzerland co-operate and respond in the event of a pandemic.

The trial is being organised by the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection Markos Kyprianou. He said the exercise was to test the "communications, exchanges of information and interaction between competent authorities at EU level and the co-ordination and inter-operability of national plans".

Although the date of the trial has not been confirmed it is understood it will take place at the end of November. The commissioner will give further details on the exercise at a conference on combating flu pandemics on October 18th.

A report on the exercise will be drawn up and submitted to the commission by March 2006.

The trial comes amid growing fears that a strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has caused 65 deaths in southeast Asia, may migrate to Europe. Infected birds have been found in Russia.

Scientists and epidemiologists believe that even if bird flu arrives in Europe, it is highly unlikely this will mutate into a flu pandemic. However, as a precaution, all EU countries, including Ireland, are reassessing their preparations.

Responsibility for co-ordinating these preparations nationally starts with the National Emergency Steering Planning Group which receives advice from the Pandemic Influenza Expert Group.

These groups have agreed a national reporting system that links health and veterinary professionals and provides a protocol in the event of a suspected case of the H5N1 virus being found among domestic or wild birds or in a patient.

Hospitals and GPs have been sent guidelines from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre with particular reference to dealing with individuals displaying severe respiratory difficulties who have recently returned from southeast Asia.

Implementation of these protocols in the Health Service Executive is the responsibility of Gavin Maguire, assistant chief executive of the eastern region who has been appointed assistant national director with responsibility for emergency planning.

The HSE recently conducted a test of the State's preparedness for flu pandemic and the results are being factored into a review of the National Influenza Pandemic Plan which is being updated to include new advice from the World Health Organisation.

A health professional centrally involved in the preparation said Ireland was now much better prepared to deal with a pandemic than this time last year.

The Government has also ordered one million doses of the anti-viral, tamiflu. More than 600,000 packs are due to be delivered by the end of the year.