1. Introduction
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the current risk from avian influenza ("bird flu") becoming the next human influenza pandemic is high. The Ministry of Health (MoH) is currently updating its pandemic influenza plan and is leading government-wide work to prepare for a possible pandemic in New Zealand. More information about the characteristics of pandemic influenza is contained in Appendix 1.
Table 1 outlines the five stages of MoH's pandemic influenza management strategy as well as the "alert codes" that will signal a shift from one stage to the next. In October 2005, New Zealand is in Alert Code White. Moves from Code White to Yellow, and Yellow to Red (i.e. the escalation steps) will originate with MoH. The Ministry of Economic Development (MED) will endeavour to keep infrastructure providers informed of these changes.
Table 1 New Zealand Ministry of Health Strategy for Pandemic Management
| Stage |
New Zealand Strategy |
MoH/DHB1 Alert Code |
| 1 |
Plan for it
(Planning) |
White
(Information/advisory) |
Yellow
(Standby) |
| 2 |
Keep it out
(Border Management) |
Red
(Activation) |
| 3 |
Stamp it out
(Cluster Control) |
| 4 |
Manage it
(Pandemic Management) |
| 5 |
Recover from it
(Recovery) |
Green
(Stand down) |
This Planning Guide sets out a range of information, aimed primarily at companies that provide infrastructure services in the energy, communications, transport, and water and waste sectors ("Infrastructure Providers"), that may be helpful in planning for the impact of a possible influenza pandemic on their employees and their business. This Planning Guide:
- Briefly describes the New Zealand Government's actions to manage any future pandemic;
- Contains some strategies for businesses to manage these impacts, including ideas about how to:
- maintain essential activities;
- contain/minimise the spread of infection in the workplace;
- Appendix 1 sets out background information on pandemic influenza;
- Appendix 2 describes some possible scenarios for a pandemic in New Zealand;
- Appendix 3 contains more detail on the potential impact of a large, severe influenza pandemic on the workforce.
The information on business continuity planning for a pandemic is necessarily generic, and will need to be adapted to meet the circumstances of each Infrastructure Provider.
Primary sources of information include MoH2, WHO3, Vancouver Coastal Health's Regional Pandemic Influenza Response Plan4, Singapore's Influenza Pandemic Plan5, and the Australian Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza6.
This Planning Guide also contains material drawn from a pandemic management plan recently prepared by The Shell Company of Australia Limited ("Shell") for use in their installations in Oceania. MED acknowledges the support that Shell has provided. Shell's material is provided on the basis that it is drawn from a specific internal planning document created to address circumstances that arise within its specific business. Shell shall not be liable for loss suffered by any person resulting in any way from the use of, or reliance on, this material.
The most recent version of MoH's National Health Emergency Plan: Infectious Diseases7 and appendices are available from the MoH's website. The Plan is currently under revision. It contains specific planning information on influenza pandemic management for New Zealand. New Zealand's response may be different from other countries due to our unique geographical position. Therefore businesses operating here need to be aware that New Zealand's proposed actions will vary from those of the WHO from time to time, particularly with respect to border management issues.
This Planning Guide was assembled in October 2005 to support the discussions and planning of infrastructure providers. It draws on the best information available at that point in time. Health advice will change over time as new information becomes available. MED will take reasonable steps to ensure that the version of the Planning Guide on this website is updated as new information comes to light. Please also check the MoH website for updated information on influenza pandemics. Note that MoH and MED both offer free subscriptions to email notifications of any updates to their influenza pandemic web pages (available via their website).
MED acknowledges the extensive support and assistance provided by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, and the Department of Labour in preparing this Planning Guide.
Please email further enquiries related to pandemic planning for infrastructure service providers to pandemic-bcp.update@med.govt.nz.
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