May 11, 2009

As authorities have warned against panicking about AH1N1, many businesses have been "diligent and thorough" in response to the illness, according to a recent survey by a major provider of workforce management services.

Preliminary information indicates that "an overwhelming majority of the responders have a business continuity plan or pandemic preparedness plan in place to respond to global outbreaks of flu or a full-blown flu pandemic," according to the ORC Worldwide survey results presented Thursday to a panel of US lawmakers.

"We believe we are seeing the benefit of responsible planning, much of which was initiated in response to the threats of SARS and avian flu, but most importantly, planning that has been maintained and proven to be practical and useful in the situation we find ourselves in today," Ann Brockhaus, senior occupational safety and health consultant at ORC, testified Thursday.

The survey's preliminary results, based on responses from 89 of ORC's client companies, indicate that firms have not over-reacted, Brockhaus said.

Other preliminary findings are:

- More than 60 percent of responding companies implemented changes to business travel practices due to the outbreak.

- Another 12 percent to 14 percent already had restrictions in place because of current economic conditions.

- Almost half of respondents had at some point instituted policies to require employees returning from areas with confirmed cases of AH1N1 to stay home before returning to work for a period of time.

There are almost 900 laboratory-confirmed US cases of AH1N1 in humans, according to health authorities. The nation can expect increases in the number of cases and states affected by AH1N1, Dr. Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for the CDC's science and public health programme, told House lawmakers Thursday.

"The path of this outbreak may change; and we need to be prepared for a possible return of this virus in the fall," Schuchat testified. "It is important that we (in partnership with state and local officials) continue to think about what might be needed if this outbreak deepens in communities across the US. Even if this outbreak yet proves to be less serious than we might have initially feared, we can anticipate that we may have a subsequent or follow-on outbreak several months down the road."

Going forward, ORC recommends that companies' AH1N1 response plans should be scalable, flexible, and adaptable.

"Our members report that existing plans were geared to 'worst case scenarios' and that plans had to be adjusted as new information about the severity and scope of the AH1N1 outbreak became available," Brockhaus said.

She added that internal communication and coordination have been challenging.

"Companies need to ensure that preparedness plans provide for effective communication among critical functions such as health and safety, human resources, security, legal and others," Brockhaus said.

Also, "on the ground" coordination is needed in many more areas, with businesses and government entities finding new ways to effectively communicate and collaborate on preparedness, she said.