The latest reports of the swine flu outbreak indicate that the virus is not as bad as first feared, and it is starting to wane in its epicenter of Mexico. Of course, this is very good news, but it is important to note that the world is certainly not “out of the woods.” The WHO has not downgraded the alert phase from 5, and it is unlikely they will do so anytime soon.
This is partially because historically, many flu pandemics do indeed start in the spring, then wane, but come back even stronger during the traditional flu season that starts around December. The H1N1 virus may follow that trend. Luckily, that gives scientists time to develop a vaccine for the virus so that the impact of it will more closely resemble the impact of the seasonal flu instead of a catastrophic event. It also gives businesses that may have been panicking about swine flu more time to plan for a pandemic event.
If the crisis does indeed blow over, it serves as a very relevant wake-up call. If you saw your business start to panic due to lack of preparedness for a pandemic, GraVoc continues to be here to help.
GraVoc Associates, based just outside of Boston in Peabody, Massachusetts, is celebrating fifteen years of business in information security, information systems, and technology and professional services. With years of experience in business continuity and pandemic event planning, GraVoc is committed to minimizing the impact of any flu outbreak on its clients’ business operations. For more information, please visit the new GraVoc.com or call the GraVoc offices at 978-538-9055.