ALKHOBAR, 8 April 2008 — As authorities work to contain a suspected bird flu outbreak in another Indian state bordering Bangladesh, the chances are ever increasing that the deadly H5N1 influenza could mutate into a form easily transmitted from person to person, leading to a pandemic.
In Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the US Embassy in Riyadh released a US State Department notice containing new instructions regarding procedures to be followed in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak. The notice advised:
“Health professionals are concerned that the continued spread of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus among animals (mainly poultry) in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe has the potential to significantly threaten human health. If highly pathogenic avian influenza, such as the H5N1 subtype, mutates and spreads easily from one person to another, influenza could break out globally, and lead to a pandemic.”
The notice went on to discuss how it might not be possible to travel during an outbreak and that individuals might have to manage for up to 12 weeks, wherever they might be, when national borders were closed. Planning and action to prepare for such an action was urged, in part by consulting the website, www.pandemicflu.gov. The website offers comprehensive planning checklists for individuals, businesses, schools and other groups.
While use of such social distancing measures as teleworking were mentioned in the US State Department notice, in actuality there is no guarantee that any network service — not water, telephone, electricity or Internet, would remain reliable in the event of a pandemic. Too many people might be ill or absent, to maintain network service quality.
Bio-tech and pharmaceutical companies are racing to create and distribute a reliable vaccine and effective medications before a pandemic strikes but there is no guarantee their efforts will succeed. Although the potential H5N1 catastrophe has been on the horizon for years, companies in Saudi Arabia have not responded by creating contingency plans. These would include not only issues relating to human resources, but also to the management and protection of data, backup satellite network access and equipment, emergency notification devices and a host of other ICT issues focused on helping a business survive a pandemic and return to full operation afterwards.
If your company is one of the thousands in the Kingdom which does not have a contingency plan for potential disasters such as an Avian Flu pandemic, the time is now to take steps to protect your employees and your corporate interests.