In the wake of the swine flu outbreak in the Mexico City area and the scattered cases of human swine flu infections in the United States, pandemic fears are certainly on the forefront of many people’s minds.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) has called this a “public health emergency of national concern,” they have not yet upgraded the situation from Pandemic Phase 3. The definition of each phase is available here.
This news is extremely relevant to many GraVoc business continuity clients. In a response to a FFIEC guideline from December 2007, GraVoc developed a pandemic event policy to add to business continuity plans. Many bank and credit union clients have engaged GraVoc for pandemic planning procedures, and these efforts have gained approval from our clients’ regulatory examiners, including the NCUA and FDIC.
Pandemic readiness involves an organization taking the proper precautions to make sure that business can continue as close as possible to normal, likely through the use of telecommunication. The pandemic procedures prepare organizations for responding to public fear, preventing the spread of illness throughout the workplace, and coping with widespread employee absenteeism.
It is also notable to add that the WHO commended the efforts of the last five years by the world community regarding pandemic preparedness in response to the potential of an avian flu outbreak. According to the WHO’s Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the world is “much, much better prepared than we’ve ever been” for a pandemic event.
GraVoc Associates, Inc, based outside of Boston in Peabody, MA, is strongly committed to its business continuity customers, and looks to ensure that business continuity efforts continue to work for the client beyond the point of sale. For existing clients and new clients alike, we strongly urge you to contact us at 978-538-9055 if you need any assistance with business continuity and pandemic planning efforts.