Seminar warns on flu pandemic preparedness

A leading emergency planning specialist has issued a warning to Northern Ireland organisations to avoid complacency when it comes to planning for emergencies, a seminar on the influenza pandemic was told today.

The seminar, which was organised by the Emergency Planning Society entitled ‘Catching corporate flu – a tool kit for survival’, heard from a range of speakers including Dr Lourda Geoghegan from the Department of Health, Social Services and Safety's Influenza Pandemic Planning Unit and Mr Tony Andreucetti, Senior Business Continuity Consultant for Hewlett-Packard who examined how best to plan for emergencies such as the influenza pandemic in Northern Ireland.

The event was attended by representatives from public and private sector organisations.

One of the key speakers at the seminar, Mr Tony Andreucetti, Senior Business Continuity Consultant for Hewlett-Packard, called upon organisations across Northern Ireland to refocus on the important task of preparing for an emergency such as an influenza pandemic.

He said: “It is imperative for organisations across Northern Ireland to ensure that the appropriate mechanisms are in place to deal with a large scale emergency such as a pandemic flu. It would be complacent to think we will be immune to such emergencies. Although important work has undertaken in this area we still need to redouble our efforts by investing time and energy in preparing for business continuity.”

Harold Whan, Chairperson of the Emergency Planning Society Northern Ireland Branch, added:

“Although this seminar has highlighted the inevitability of an influenza pandemic the public can be reassured that tremendous work has been undertaken by the public and private sector to manage such an emergency by ensuring that robust contingency mechanisms are in place. An important outcome of the seminar has been the sharing of best practice with a view to establishing a more coordinated approach.”

A recent report found that more than half of UK organisations have no business continuity plan in the event of a flu pandemic and an even greater number have no plans in place to deal with resulting absenteeism.

Meanwhile a ‘real time’ simulation exercise called exercise ‘Winter Willow’ is being drawn up for January 2007 by the government to test the UK’s readiness for flu pandemic.

Government guide-lines already warn that organisations should plan for absenteeism at a peak of a pandemic averaging 15% of their staff, rising to twice the number for small groups of workers.

(EF)