From October 16 to 19, 2006 Australia held a pandemic influenza live simulation called Exercise Cumpston’ 06, the largest ever health exercise and said to be one of the first major exercises on pandemic influenza conducted in any country, costing $4.1 million. [1, 2, 3]
The simulation was conducted by the Department of Health and Ageing with the aim to exercise the capacity and capability of the Australian health system to prevent, detect and respond to an influenza pandemic, it utilised 1,500 participants and control staff and was held over 4 days. The exercise was closely observed and monitored by international health experts. [4]
- The exercise was named after Dr John Howard Lidgett Cumpston, an epidemiologist, and the first Director-General of the Commonwealth Department of Health, from 1921 to 1945. Previously, as the Commonwealth Director of Quarantine, he was largely responsible for containing the spread of Spanish Influenza in Australia in 1919.
It’s not the first simulation as Exercise Eleusis ’05 was conducted in November 2005, simulating an avian influenza outbreak in poultry with limited transmission to humans.
Both exercises showed Australia was in good shape, with some refinements recommended including updating the 2003 version of the Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza (AHMPPI) using undated evidence.