The Australian government announced on Thursday that it would spend over US$30 million in bolstering the stockpile of antivirals to combat the spread of the A/H1N1 flu.

Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said enough doses would be purchased to cover half the population in the first instance.

"We will purchase approximately 10-million doses to cover 10 million people based on the current expert advice that this is sufficient to contain the spread of the disease and protect those most at risk of complications," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio network.

In response, Australia's leading influenza expert Alan Hampson said, "I'm never quite sure how much is enough.. Once you get beyond a certain point in using antivirals to damp down the potential outbreak, that you may not get a lot more value for your money and certainly vaccines then become terribly important."

He indicated the real issue now was keeping the level of transmission down and protecting those people who were most at risk during that intervening period until vaccine was available.

There were now more than 140 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu in Australia by Thursday evening.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2009)