Pandemic Flu: Current Threat and Development of a Preparedness Framework

This paper describes how experts agree that an influenza pandemic is inevitable and possibly imminent. Since the highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus is mutating rapidly, it is affecting new hosts and expanding its geographic range. Should an influenza strain emerge that spreads easily among humans, the World Health Organization predicts that ‘all countries will be affected, widespread illness will occur, medical supplies will be inadequate, large numbers of deaths will occur, and economic and social disruption will be great’. On January 19, 2006, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned of the possibility of human-to-human transmission of the Avian Influenza virus unless the international community pulled together in a massive effort to combat the virus. Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security et al., appealed to the American business community on December 6, 2005, to prepare. However, according to a survey in March 2006 only 15% of large American companies had a bird-flu plan. A June 2006 survey by The Conference Board of Canada showed that 80% of respondents’ executives were concerned about the impact of a pandemic on their organization, but only 4% had developed a preparedness plan. Today there is unprecedented opportunity to prepare for a pandemic to reduce economic and social impacts, cases, hospitalizations and deaths. This paper develops a framework for pandemic preparedness for organizations, including employee health and welfare, ethical and legal issues, business continuity, and partnerships with government and civil society.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9781845640682
• Corporate Authors:

  WIT Press

  Computational Mechanics, 25 Bridge Street
  Billerica, MA  United States  01821
• Authors:
  • Duncan, K
• Conference:
  • The Second International Conference on Safety and Security Engineering
  • Date: 2007-6-25 to 2007-6-27
• Publication Date: 2007-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 473-485
• Monograph Title: Safety and Security Engineering II

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Disaster preparedness; Diseases and medical conditions; Fatalities; Human beings; Human factors; Regulations; Risk analysis; Risk assessment
• Uncontrolled Terms: Avian flu; Pandemic influenza
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01055595
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9781845640682
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 23 2007 3:10PM