Miss Madeline Barning1
1Infection Prevention & Management Service, Logan Beaudesert Health Service, QLD Health
Biography:
Madeline Barning is a Clinical Nurse Consultant with Metro South Health, Queensland, bringing seven years of IPC experience across practitioner, immunisation, community and oral health roles. She has cultivated a strong interest in building and redevelopment and developed specialised expertise in outbreak management, strengthening local processes to withstand unpredictable events. Maddy is committed to lifelong learning and actively contributes to research initiatives. Her leadership experience in IPC and patient safety is well established, and she is widely regarded for her exemplary communication skills, transformational leadership approach, and steadfast advocacy for patients.
Abstract:
Introduction:
In July 2025, Logan Hospital faced Australia’s first clade I mpox hospital exposure event. A returned traveller initially presented with non-specific symptoms and was managed under standard precautions. Following re-presentation with progressing symptoms, mpox was confirmed but only after multiple healthcare exposures had occurred across emergency, inpatient, and support service settings. While primarily an infectious disease threat, this event highlighted broader operational challenges posed by emerging pathogens and the need for coordinated health-system preparedness.
Methods:
Comprehensive analysis was undertaken of the hospital response following identification of a confirmed clade I mpox case. This included collecting data on patient movement, identifying exposure locations, contact tracing, and vaccination delivery. Governance and operational response measures were also reviewed.
Results:
An Incident Management Team was activated, integrating executive leadership, public health, infectious diseases, and infection prevention and control. An expert advisory group was also convened in response to the case. Contact tracing using existing guidelines identified 160 potentially exposed individuals, of whom 83 met close contact definition and required furlough. 96 mpox vaccinations were administered, including post-exposure and preventive doses. The response required extensive workforce monitoring, communication, tracing, and operational coordination.
Conclusion:
This event demonstrated how a single emerging infectious disease case can rapidly escalate into a whole-of-health-system response. Preparedness requires multidisciplinary planning, robust workforce and tracing systems, and scalable outbreak response capabilities to strengthen resilience against future emerging pathogens.