Pandemic influenza

You are here: Pandemic influenza > Resources > Guidelines

Guidelines

Cluster Control for Pandemic Influenza

Date of publication: July 2008

These guidelines describe the public health interventions that may be used by Public Health Units in the cluster control phase of pandemic influenza.

The aims of cluster control in a pandemic are to:

control or eliminate the disease after introduction to New Zealand (in conjunction with rigorous border management)
slow the transmission of the disease
obtain epidemiological information to characterise the spread of the infection to inform the pandemic management response.

The guidelines will be updated as necessary as information on the epidemiology of the pandemic virus is known.

Guidelines for Public Health Services on Cluster Control for Pandemic Influenza is available in PDF format in the publications section of the Ministry of Health website.

Getting Through Together: Ethical values for a pandemic

Date of publication: July 2007

The National Ethics Advisory Committee – Kāhui Matatika o te Motu (NEAC) advises the Minister of Health on ethical issues of national significance regarding health and disability. NEAC believes that minimising harm from any pandemic, minimising inequalities in the impact of any pandemic, and getting through any pandemic together are issues of this sort.

In 2007, following public consultation, NEAC produced work on ethical values for a pandemic. Getting Through Together emphasises using shared values to assist people to care for themselves, their whānau and their neighbours, and using shared values to make decisions in situations of overwhelming demand.

NEAC hopes that a wide range of people, including health professionals, planners, policy makers and members of the public and business community, can use Getting Through Together as they plan for, and think about, their potential response to a pandemic.

Guideline availability:

Getting Through Together: Ethical Values for a Pandemic is available in PDF format from the National Ethics Advisory Committee website (www.neac.health.govt.nz)

Infection Prevention and Control during an Influenza Pandemic

Date of publication: April 2006

This document provides general guidance to the health and disability sector, other government agencies and the general public on actions and equipment to help them to protect themselves and others during an influenza pandemic. It does not contain detailed information for acute care, secondary or tertiary hospitals.

This guideline has been developed principally because the health and disability sector is preparing for an influenza pandemic (Ministry of Health 2005 ). It should be read in conjunction with the guidance material on this website (http://www.moh.govt.nz/pandemicinfluenza), and for workplaces, on the Department of Labour website (http://www.dol.govt.nz)

Guideline availability:

Infection Prevention and Control during an Influenza Pandemic is available in PDF and Word format in the publications section of the Ministry of Health website.

National Laboratory Guidelines for Pandemic Influenza

Date of publication: June 2006

The National Laboratory Guidelines for Pandemic Influenza were compiled in consultation with members of the New Zealand Virology Laboratory Network. They are intended for use by health professionals and laboratory staff to ensure safe handling and collection of human specimens for diagnosis of influenza with pandemic potential.

During a global influenza pandemic alert, and in concert with New Zealand’s pandemic response strategy, all health care providers should be alert for patients with respiratory illness that could be pandemic influenza. For all suspected patients, samples for virus detection should be collected. The National Laboratory Guidelines for Pandemic Influenza advise what specimens are preferred and what test should be performed at the different stages of a pandemic.

Guideline availability:

National Laboratory Guidelines for Pandemic Influenza is available in PDF and Word format only in the publications section of the Ministry of Health website.

Page last reviewed September 2009