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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-04-30 Daily Xml
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SWINE FLU

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:47): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations, representing the Minister for Health, a question about swine flu.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: I note that the World Health Organisation this morning raised its flu alert level to phase 5 out of a possible six, which signifies an imminent pandemic according to its scale. In response, Adelaide Airport will today install a machine capable of screening international passengers for elevated body heat, which can be associated with any type of flu.

Family First supports the introduction of these machines but is concerned that some members of the public may now have the misapprehension that Adelaide is protected. The information that I have received is that an infected person can easily pass through these heat sensors without detection, given that the incubation period for influenza ranges anywhere between one and three days. Yuen Kwok-yung, a top microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong, says of the virus:

Flu is infectious one day before the onset of symptoms, which means you may not have symptoms but you are already infectious.

Mark von Itzstein, Director of the Institute of Glycomics at Griffith University in Queensland, has gone on the record to say:

The scanners won't pick up everyone, especially if they are too early in the infection stage...you are incubating and infecting others without knowing it.

My questions are:

1. Does the minister agree with these experts that these machines are unlikely to pick up recently infected carriers who have entered Adelaide Airport?

2. If so, what other measures will the government introduce in order to protect South Australia from this outbreak?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:49): I thank the honourable member for his important questions. I am happy to refer those questions to the appropriate minister in another place and bring back a response. I draw the honourable member's attention to the fact that a ministerial statement was tabled not long ago in this council giving an update on the swine flu situation from the Minister for Health.

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