Council health executive Cllr Ron Gould, a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), said emergency planning was vital if the city was to be properly prepared for an outbreak.
Cllr Gould said the “excess death” seminars for undertakers and related professionals were key.
He added: “It is to make sure they’ve got the capacity needed to be able to carry on. The worst-case scenario could be anything from 10% to 40%.
“If a big city ‘goes down’, as they call it, there will be a major problem. Hospitals are finding it hard to cope. Plans are under way to make sure the anti-virals are available, but we’ve got to make sure other services like the crematoria and the undertakers are well prepared.”
So far, about 25 cases have been confirmed on Merseyside.
