Australian Hospitals to Buy Automated H1N1 Testing Equipment

The Australian Government will provide $1.2m (AU$1.4m) in funding to the National Influenza Centres and other public health laboratories across the country to purchase automated influenza testing equipment.

The equipment will enhance the capacity of Australia's pandemic influenza testing and allows laboratories to handle increased influenza testing demand, the government said.

Pathologists and medical laboratory scientists had previously reported that additional high throughput testing equipment was needed to handle the increasing demand for influenza testing.