Business Continuity Plans and the Next Influenza Pandemic

Planning, Prevention, and Mitigation are three words that all government organizations and business owners should be hearing from their Business Continuity Planners concerning the next Pandemic. Specific action plans need to be developed today, to successfully weather the next Pandemic. Remember it is not about recovery, it is about continuation of business during the event. How long can you tread water?

The widespread level of anticipated illness, death and disruption during an Influenza pandemic will have a major impact on your ability to effectively manage your business or organization. A well thought out and validated Business Continuity Plan will help you successfully survive the next Influenza Pandemic. Large and small organizations will be negatively impacted by this event.

Before you can develop an effective plan of action, you need to understand the nature of the problems you will be facing. So let us take a few moments to gain an insight to the problems which you will be addressing with an Influenza Pandemic.

Background

A pandemic (global epidemic) is defined as a disease that affects individuals over large geographic areas. In the twentieth century, we experienced three major Influenza Pandemics: 1918 - 1919 Spanish influenza, 1957 - 1959 Asian Influenza, and the 1968 Hong Kong influenza.

The 1918 influenza pandemic killed 550,000 Americans in ten months with an estimate loss of life of at least 30,000,000 (30 Million) in the world. (1). The average age of the dead was between 20 -25 years old. Philadelphia reported 289 deaths on October 6, 1918. Many people died within one day of contracting the disease.

The Asian influenza pandemic started in Singapore in May of 1957, within one year it spread around the globe. The loss of life was estimated to be 70,000 worldwide.

The Hong Kong Influenza pandemic started in 1968, with mortality rates spiking in 1970 with an estimate of 31,000.

Influenza is considered the most likely candidate for a global pandemic. Most world health organizations agree that it is not, if we will have influenza pandemic, but when the Pandemic will strike. When a Pandemic starts you will have very little warning, with estimates ranging from 1 - 6 months before you are fully involved with the Pandemic. The first wave a pandemic is usually followed by a second wave approximately 9 - 12 months later.

No one can forecast when the next Pandemic will arrive, but we can forecast the impact a Pandemic will have on our country. As a business entity you need to become more aware of the risks associated you are facing when it comes to an Influenza Pandemic. According to the research report titled, The Economic impact of Pandemic Influenza in the United States, "the estimated economic impact would be $71.3 Billion to $166.5 Billion dollars, excluding disruptions to commerce and society. The loss of life in the United States has been estimated to be between 89,000 and 207,000."

The estimates of the population that will be exposed range from 30 to 80 percent of the population. Imagine 80 % of your staff not reporting for work today. How would your business handle the change? Will you be able to answer the telephone, complete the sales orders, or print client statements? What functions are critical to your business survival? Will you be able to complete those tasks? Can you handle the load? During the 1918 Pandemic a quarantine was applied to specific locations. Quarantines could be imposed on your city, neighborhood, or your building. Start planning today, tomorrow may be too late.

Planning

The federal government is planning for the likelihood that we will experience an Influenza Pandemic. The agency responsible for this task is the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS). In preparation for the coming Pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has created Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan - Drafted in August 2004.

The first step should be a review of your current Business Continuity Plan, starting with a review of the risk assessment process. This assessment should include a review of auditing, legal, critical computer systems, insurance, and internal controls that you have in place for today's threats. Then update your planning scenarios to include an Influenza Pandemic. The problems associated with a pandemic will effect your functional operations, essential personnel, information, processing system, policies, procedures, documentation, and vital records. Review the staffing requirements and the dependencies you have on outside vendors. They will have the same issues in supporting your operations. When you finish the review immediately update and revise the written plan.

Testing

The testing cycle should include the development of testing criteria and procedures, as well as an exercise(s), which will highlight the effectiveness of your plan in meeting your objectives. The exercise(s) could start with a Checklist Test, followed by a Tabletop or a structured walk through exercise before you run a fully integrated exercise. Evaluate the results and revise the plan before you complete an integrated test.

The likelihood of your business surviving any disruption to your normal operations increases significantly with the time and effort you apply to the level of preparedness. How long can your business tread water?

About the Author

John Wloszek is a Certified Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planner. He develops Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans and projects managed Information Technology related activities. Among his accomplishments, one particular instance that stands out is when he has managed a 24-hour a day, 7 days a week network control center and field support personnel. John has experience in managing data security and invoice processing groups for vendors providing services to IS departments. He managed and developed a technical sales support organization for information services and training courses for data and voice telecommunications systems. He was also an adjunct instructor in business for Thomas More College. He can be reached at (513) 639-1911, or jwloszek@fuse.net