Lapses revealed in flu pandemic drill

NST: Several government agencies staged an influenza pandemic exercise to test their level of preparedness yesterday.
The result? Everyone generally performed well, except for several officers who fumbled with procedures, especially in executing the chain of command and in passing on information.
Health Ministry Disease Control Division director Datuk Dr Ramlee Rahmat said improvements could still be made.
"There are still some who are not familiar with the procedures, like knowing which committees to activate," he told newsmen invited to observe the "table-top" simulation, which rehearsed the "mental steps" in dealing with a pandemic.
There were around 50 participants from departments and units under the Health Ministry, Veterinary Services Department, National Security Division, Immigration, Customs, police, Defence Ministry, Fire and Rescue Department, and the Information, Education and Foreign Affairs ministries.
The three-hour exercise began with a staged "news broadcast" of bird flu outbreaks in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
With that information, the different groups were asked for their responses and plans of action, while Dr Ramlee observed and took notes.
The groups also went through simulations of different levels of pandemic alerts.
Level One of an inter-pandemic period occurs when the virus is detected in animals and the risk of human infection is still low.
Level Two is when the virus is spreading between animals and carries a higher risk of human infection. At this stage, animal and human surveillance must be heightened, anti-viral medication stockpiled, and risk communication and health contingency plans developed.
A Level Three pandemic alert is when the virus has been transmitted from animals to humans. This level calls for the "early strategic use" of anti-virals and isolation of humans infected. Contingency and communication plans must be executed.
Higher levels of alert deal with the human-to-human transmission of the virus and measures to contain or delay its spread.
The bird flu virus has been detected in isolated areas in the country but no human-to-human transmission has been reported.