Ms Yana Albrey
Biography:
Yana Albrey has over 13 years of nursing expertise and is a credentialed infection control practitioner. As the Senior Nurse Advisor Infection Prevention, she provides strategic leadership and guidance in the development, implementation, and evaluation of infection prevention programs across NT Health.
With a career that has traversed multiple states, her journey includes pivotal infection control roles at Fiona Stanley and Fremantle Hospitals and most recently as the Nurse Manager of the Infection Prevention Unit at Royal Darwin and Palmerston Hospitals.
During the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic her leadership proved indispensable. In her role, Yana not only led with resilience but also ensured the provision of ongoing operational support to infection control staff spread across the NT. She is dedicated to providing a culturally sensitive infection control service, catering to the diverse healthcare consumers of the Territory.
Abstract:
The 2025-26 diphtheria outbreak represented the largest recorded outbreak of diphtheria in Australia since national surveillance commenced in 1991, requiring a coordinated response across hospitals, public health services and infection prevention and control teams. Although diphtheria is uncommon in most Australian healthcare settings, the outbreak generated extensive healthcare worker exposure assessments, contact tracing activities, vaccination campaigns and system-wide preparedness initiatives.
This presentation shares key lessons from the hospital response, including the management of a complex family cluster, a critically unwell intensive care patient with widespread staff exposures, and the assessment of approximately 690 healthcare worker contacts. It highlights the importance of robust risk assessment frameworks, clear exposure definitions, diagnostic pathways, timely communication and multidisciplinary collaboration in managing a rapidly evolving outbreak.
Drawing on direct involvement in the outbreak response, this presentation explores the implementation of a targeted staff vaccination program that increased diphtheria booster coverage from 51% to 87%, alongside broader improvements in workforce preparedness, outbreak governance and response systems. It demonstrates how effective management of emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats depends not only on clinical expertise, but also on strong leadership, cross-sector partnerships and organisational readiness to respond when rare diseases become a reality.