Case Study:
Pandemic Preparedness
Situation
The H5N1 virus has been
highly lethal with a case fatality rate (CFR) of over 50%;
significantly higher
than the 1918 influenza and the more recent SARS epidemic. Human H5N1
cases
have required direct contact with infected birds but, if H5N1 were to
adapt to
enable person to person transmission and maintain a high CFR, a
devastating
human pandemic could result. Bellwether
was engaged to examine preparedness for a pandemic event within large
US
corporations.
Approach
21 corporations were
recruited to participate in a roundtable discussion and benchmarking on
corporate preparedness for avian flu. A
wide range of industries were represented including: financial
services,
aerospace, defense, transportation, pharmaceuticals, technology,
hardware,
software, telecommunications, utilities and healthcare.
Working together with the Center for
Biosecurity, Bellwether developed a day-long program for the companies
involving experts in all key aspects of the subject. Each
company was required to complete a
questionnaire on their preparedness program, and the results from this
were
included in a series of presentations followed by a facilitated
discussion
session where company representatives shared approaches and issues on
topics of
interest they had chosen.
Analysis & Results
In the past, pandemic
outbreaks have happened fast and in multiple locations, simultaneously.
Were a
serious outbreak to occur in the near-term, businesses should expect to
be
affected for well over a year. Global travel, urban crowding,
international
supply chains, an aging population and a weakened public health system
make the
US
more vulnerable than before. With SARS,
isolation and infection control worked but fever screening,
quarantining and
travel restrictions did not (SARS had spread to 29 countries before WHO
issued
its first alert). Influenzas are
different; they are contagious earlier, spread more extensively and
incubate
more quickly. Working from home is a
likely consequence and corporate business continuity planning must be
adapted
for such a scenario.
Benefits to Client
At
the time of the forum,
pandemic planning was about a year old at most companies and all had
programs
underway. The roundtable format provided
the opportunity for many to learn about alternative approaches to
common
problems, share methodologies and discuss issues. Each
industry would be affected differently
by a pandemic event, and all companies benefited from the wide variety
of
perspectives and approaches from other industries. Best practices in
situational awareness, communications, crisis management, emergency
response,
travel, employee protection, working remotely, facility care,
healthcare
community liaison, drilling, training and overall resilience were
shared. In a follow-up communication, there was
strong agreement that the forum had been unique and extremely valuable.
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