U.S. Bird Flu Plan Enlists Local Leaders, Businesses

Key point: Add pandemic to disaster recovery scenarios.

By CSO Contributor

June 01, 2006 — CSO —

Pandemic

On May 3, the White House unveiled a $7.1 billion implementation plan for responding to a human-borne mutation of the avian flu virus.

While that hasn’t been confirmed yet, the now-widespread H5N1 strain of avian flu has killed 124 of 218 infected people in 10 countries in Asia and Africa, the World Health Organization reported on May 23. Those people have come in direct contact with infected birds, often at farms in rural areas. WHO investigators are examining six deaths in Indonesia to see if human-to-human infection took place.

Detection of the virus in live poultry and migrating birds has prompted governments in Africa, Asia and Europe to slaughter millions of animals to prevent the virus from spreading.

The virulence of the virus leads American authorities to project that it will hit the United States before the year is out. Frances Townsend, President Bush’s homeland security adviser, says the administration is planning for a worst-case scenario.

“If this develops into a circumstance where there is efficient human-to-human transmission, we will take immediate action to prevent or slow the spread of the infection,” Townsend says, “including entry and exit screening, restrictions on movement across borders and [to] consider the rapid deployment of antiviral medications in coordination with our international partners.”

There are already debates in Congress among public-health advocates about the details of the plan (for example, how will Americans get enough doses of flu shots, assuming clinicians develop an effective immunization?).

CSOs and their colleagues should pay special attention to Appendix A of the plan (available at www.pandemicflu.gov). There, you will find all the elements of a crisis response and business continuity plan, including identifying essential workers, establishing policies for compensating sick workers, flexible offsite offices and work hours, and coordinating responses as necessary with local government authorities.

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