First Australians fly to fight bird flu

The desperate fight to control the spread of bird flu across Asia and around the world is being spearheaded by graduates, staff and students of a unique ANU program.

One of the first Australians sent to Asia to help the World Health Organisation (WHO) tackle the Avian Flu outbreak was student Gina Samaan.

Ms Samaan (pictured, left, with Mary Deeble), a health bureaucrat who is studying in the ANU Masters of Applied Epidemiology (MAE) program, worked for a WHO team in Manila responsible for monitoring the spread of the disease by accumulating data from hospitals, medical officials and other sources, including the media. Ms Samaan also had an important role in monitoring rumours about the disease.

“It is vital to monitor rumours, not just because it is a very serious disease which people may be reluctant to approach authorities about — but also so that we can counter the spread of misinformation,” Ms Samaan said.

“Communication plays a vital role in disease control. It is vital to accurately track the spread of the disease as soon as outbreaks occur, but it is also vital to provide information to the public on risks posed by the disease and methodsof prevention.

“The role of our WHO team in Manila necessarily evolves to meet challenges of disease control as they arise.”

To read a page from Ms Samaan's bird flu diary, click here

Ms Samaan was part of an Australian crisis team last year that worked to monitor and prevent outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Australia. She works as Epidemiology Registrar in the Surveillance and Epidemiology Section of the Population Health Division in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.

The MAE program plays a vital role in training senior Australian health officials in disease control. ANU staff, students and graduates played a leading role in helping prevent the spread of SARS across Asia last year and are expected to again play a significant role in combating Avian Flu — the lessons of the SARS outbreak providing valuable lessons in disease control.

Director of the MAE program, Ms Mary Deeble, said there was extremely intense competition to obtain a place in the MAE program, as health officials from across the region recognised the importance of building up expertise in disease control.

“Our graduates study intensive courses at ANU and are involved in work placements across the country, gaining experience in disease control and building up a network of skilled epidemiologists,” Ms Deeble said.

“As a result, we are proud to be playing a significant role in helping reduce deaths and illnesses across the region. It is crucial to build epidemiological capacity and networks across the region.”

To find out more about the Masters of Applied Epidemiology Program, visit: www-nceph.anu.edu.au/Study/mae.php

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