How many Western Australians could die in an influenza pandemic?
It is difficult to estimate the impact of an influenza pandemic due to the unpredictability of the virulence and transmissibility of the pandemic virus, the effectiveness of infection control measures, and the availability of pandemic antivirals and vaccine. Based on mathematical modelling, and assuming that 25 per cent of the population was infected and that no pandemic vaccine was available, Western Australia could have 1000 to 3000 deaths and possibly more depending on the influenza strain.
