In this issue of Risk Alert, we discuss key issues related to preparing for and responding to a Pandemic.

A Global Threat

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the virus will almost certainly become a pandemic.The clock is now ticking for businesses—already struggling with the global economic crisis—to close the gaps in their business continuity and other emergency plans and gear up to respond.

The current outbreak of the H1N1 virus underscores the critical importance of effective pandemic influenza response to minimize the potential for human morbidity and mortality, to reduce social and economic disruptions, and to mitigate against organizational risk exposures.It should be emphasized that the situation involving the H1N1 pandemic is evolving rapidly, and must be monitored closely.Pandemic plans and response must include the ability to react quickly and with flexibility in response to changing scenarios in accordance with the current phase of the pandemic.

A pandemic could escalate quickly, last for months, and infect 25 percent or more of the world’s population, according to public health experts.Many organizations believe that at the peak of a severe pandemic, up to 75 percent of the workforce could be absent from work.With that in mind, businesses would be well-advised to ensure their emergency-response and business-continuity plans are up-to-date and include specific planning for dealing with a pandemic.This issue of Risk Alert aims to:

• discuss organizational pandemic preparedness and response and business continuity management (BCM);
• provide background information on the H1N1 virus and human influenza pandemics;
• highlight the international implications of a pandemic; and
• outline some of the potential insurance coverage issues related to pandemics.

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