Ministerial Statement

SWINE FLU

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:01): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Overnight the World Health Organisation upgraded its level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to phase 5. Through this mechanism the World Health Organisation requests countries to activate their pandemic preparedness plans. I am advised that Australian authorities, including South Australia, have already set in train all the necessary procedures to ensure that we are prepared for a pandemic flu event.

The federal government over the past two days has announced further measures to enhance surveillance at our international airports. These measures include thermal imaging scanners, which will be used across the eight international airports across Australia, including Adelaide Airport. I understand that the federal government made that announcement in the last hour.

Health declaration cards are also being pre-deployed across Australia. Passengers on all international flights entering Australia are requested to present to authorities if they display flu-like symptoms. SA Health has deployed nurses at Adelaide Airport to assist in these border security measures, assisting international passengers with flu-like symptoms.

According to the commonwealth, worldwide there are currently 2,167 suspected cases of swine flu and 198 confirmed cases of swine flu. Eight deaths have been confirmed by the World Health Organisation and another 159 deaths are suspected to be due to swine flu. Last night the first death from swine flu was confirmed outside Mexico, and eight countries have now had confirmed swine flu cases.

I want to stress that there are currently no confirmed cases of swine flu in Australia. I am advised that here in South Australia currently eight people, aged between the ages of 22 and 62, are being tested for swine flu. All these people have returned from travel in the United States, Canada and/or Mexico in the past week and are displaying flu-like symptoms. None has been hospitalised due to their illness. They have been requested to stay at home until they receive their test results.

Today we have confirmed that the Adelaide-based international student, who travelled on the same flight as three New Zealanders diagnosed with swine flu, has been given the all clear. This student was given a course of antiviral medication as a precaution. The IMVS labs in Adelaide have now completed the genetic tests and ruled out any infection of influenza A, which includes swine flu.

The IMVS is the state's only full testing laboratory for suspected South Australian cases of swine influenza. If a patient presents to either a hospital or their GP with suspected swine influenza symptoms, a nasal or throat swab or sputum sample is taken immediately and couriered to undergo testing. Specimens are collected at the time of consultation in order to keep the number of people who can potentially be exposed to the virus as low as possible. Once samples reach the IMVS, they are tested using the Polymerase Chain Reaction test (PCR), considered to be the 'gold standard' in testing due to near 100 per cent sensitivity and accuracy of results.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many front-line people working to prevent this flu from taking hold. Of course, they include GPs, hospital staff, SA Health staff and IMVS workers who play a key role in these very important testing procedures. I would also wish to reassure South Australians that our state is working closely with the commonwealth to protect our community from this threat.