Pre-Pandemic Preparedness for H5N1

Aaron Goodwin made this Official Information request to Ministry of Health

Currently waiting for a response from Ministry of Health, they must respond promptly and normally no later than (details and exceptions).

From: Aaron Goodwin

To the Ministry of Health,

I am submitting this request under the Official Information Act, looking to get some clarity on New Zealand's preparedness for the increasing risk of H5N1 avian influenza spreading among mammalian species and potentially mutating to enable human-to-human transmission.

I am aware that key stakeholders, including the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and the Department of Conservation (DoC), are monitoring the virus's global spread among wildlife and implementing reporting systems. However, my concern pertains specifically to readiness for an escalation involving mammalian transmission and eventual human outbreaks, which international experts have warned may be a matter of "when, not if."

Specific details I believe would benefit from greater public clarity:

1. Threat Assessment:

a) What is the government’s assessment of H5N1's threat level in terms of its mutation potential and interspecies spread, including emerging data on mammalian infections and mutations that increase human transmissibility?

b) What modelling, if any, has been conducted to forecast the impact of a human outbreak in New Zealand?

2. Prevention Measures:

a) What measures are in place to prevent the virus from crossing into New Zealand, especially with regard to international biosecurity protocols?

b) Are there any planned or ongoing enhancements to border biosecurity in light of H5N1's spread?

3. Pre-Pandemic Stockpiling:

a) Is New Zealand stockpiling vaccines or antivirals specifically for H5N1?

b) If so, could you provide details on current stockpile levels and any recent procurement efforts, particularly in comparison to other nations (e.g., the United States ordering 4.8 million doses of H5N1 vaccine from CSL Seqirus)?

c) What contingency plans are in place to rapidly scale up vaccine production or importation if human-to-human transmission begins?

4. Public Health Readiness:

a) Are there public health campaigns or educational programmes planned to prepare the population for the potential risks of H5N1?

b) What strategies are being developed to ensure the healthcare system can handle a surge in cases resulting from a human-to-human transmission outbreak? The United States, for example, has secured large-scale vaccine stockpiles and is conducting trials on rapid-response mRNA platforms to address evolving strains of H5N1.

I understand my request is quite involved, so am happy for any extension to the deadline required for a more accurate response to be applied.

Kind regards,
Aaron Goodwin

Link to this

From: OIA Requests


Attachment image.png
89K Download


Kia ora Aaron,

 

Thank you for your request for official information. The Ministry's
reference number for your request is: H2024057283

 

Please be advised that due dates for requests received from 27 November
2024 onwards will take into account the summer holidays (25 December 2024
to 15 January 2025). Please refer to this guide for an explanation of
the [1]statutory obligations under the Official Information Act 1982.  

 

You can expect a reply no later than 20 January 2024. If we are unable to
respond to your request within this time frame, we will notify you of an
extension of that time frame. 

  

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact the OIA Services Team
on [2][email address]. If any additional factors come to light which
are relevant to your request, please do not hesitate to contact us so that
these can be taken into account.  

Under section 28(3) of the Act you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [3][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602.

 

Ngā mihi

 

OIA Services Team 

[4]Ministry of Health information releases 

 

 

 

------------------- Original Message -------------------
From: Aaron Goodwin <[FOI #29370 email]>; 
Received: Fri Nov 29 2024 02:41:19 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
To: OIA Requests <[email address]>; OIA <[email address]>; 
Subject: Official Information request - Pre-Pandemic Preparedness for H5N1

To the Ministry of Health,

I am submitting this request under the Official Information Act, looking
to get some clarity on New Zealand's preparedness for the increasing risk
of H5N1 avian influenza spreading among mammalian species and potentially
mutating to enable human-to-human transmission.

I am aware that key stakeholders, including the Ministry for Primary
Industries (MPI) and the Department of Conservation (DoC), are monitoring
the virus's global spread among wildlife and implementing reporting
systems. However, my concern pertains specifically to readiness for an
escalation involving mammalian transmission and eventual human outbreaks,
which international experts have warned may be a matter of "when, not if."

Specific details I believe would benefit from greater public clarity:

1. Threat Assessment:

a) What is the government’s assessment of H5N1's threat level in terms of
its mutation potential and interspecies spread, including emerging data on
mammalian infections and mutations that increase human transmissibility?

b) What modelling, if any, has been conducted to forecast the impact of a
human outbreak in New Zealand?

2. Prevention Measures:

a) What measures are in place to prevent the virus from crossing into New
Zealand, especially with regard to international biosecurity protocols?

b) Are there any planned or ongoing enhancements to border biosecurity in
light of H5N1's spread?

3. Pre-Pandemic Stockpiling:

a) Is New Zealand stockpiling vaccines or antivirals specifically for
H5N1?

b) If so, could you provide details on current stockpile levels and any
recent procurement efforts, particularly in comparison to other nations
(e.g., the United States ordering 4.8 million doses of H5N1 vaccine from
CSL Seqirus)?

c) What contingency plans are in place to rapidly scale up vaccine
production or importation if human-to-human transmission begins?

4. Public Health Readiness:

a) Are there public health campaigns or educational programmes planned to
prepare the population for the potential risks of H5N1?

b) What strategies are being developed to ensure the healthcare system can
handle a surge in cases resulting from a human-to-human transmission
outbreak? The United States, for example, has secured large-scale vaccine
stockpiles and is conducting trials on rapid-response mRNA platforms to
address evolving strains of H5N1. 

I understand my request is quite involved, so am happy for any extension
to the deadline required for a more accurate response to be applied.

Kind regards,
Aaron Goodwin
 

****************************************************************************
Statement of confidentiality: This e-mail message and any accompanying
attachments may contain information that is IN-CONFIDENCE and subject to
legal privilege.
If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate,
distribute or copy this message or attachments.
If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
immediately and delete this message.
****************************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/reso...
https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/reso...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...

hide quoted sections

Link to this

Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Ministry of Health only: