By ALESHA CAPONE
BRIMBANK City Council has developed an influenza pandemic plan which is nothing to sneeze at.
The council’s plan (IPP) said while the likelihood of a human influenza pandemic is low, “the effects on the organisation in such an event would be devastating”.
The report said potential impacts of a pandemic could include increased levels of uncertainty, fear and anxiety, a breakdown in community support mechanisms, high workforce absenteeism and widespread economic disruption.
The council is presently reviewing its pandemic plan, which is a sub-plan of the Municipal Emergency Management Plan.
The IPP said pandemic management would deal with containing the initial outbreak and maintening essential services when the virus becomes widespread.
The World Health Organisation has warned that the world’s human population faces an influenza pandemic when a new viral strain appears for which humans have little or no immunity against.
“The potential result is very significant morbidity and mortality, with major social and economic disruption,” the council’s IPP said.
“We cannot predict when the next pandemic will occur, nor how long it will last.”
The IPP aims to assist in reducing the impacts of an influenza pandemic on the municipality, provide support and recovery assistance throughout the pandemic.
The council will also work with emergency and health services such as Western Health during the disaster.
“Depending on how quickly pandemic influenza spreads across the broader community, it is possible that some individuals may be required to remain at home in isolation/quarantine and may require assistance,” the IPP said.
During this time, council staff, agencies and volunteers will assist with food, medication and cleaning services such as refuse removal.
The IPP also said in the event of a mass fatality, no Brimbank funeral homes have “sufficient surge capacity, therefore contact should be made with DHS for any arrangements with regards to the movement of bodies”.
