 | Preparation & Planning: The US Government’s Advisory on H1N1
September 17, 2009 by Christopher Burton |
With a potential wide-spread outbreak of H1N1 looming, the US Government released two resources last month to provide preparation assistance: the Report to the President on the US Preparations for 2009-H1N1 Influenza and Flu.gov’s Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to the 2009/2010 Influenza Season.
The Report, provided by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, assessed the Obama Administration’s preparations for this fall’s expected resurgence of 2009-H1N1 flu and outlined key steps officials should take in the coming weeks and months to minimize the disease’s impact.
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 | More than Eighty Percent of Businesses are Unprepared for H1N1 Outbreak
September 15, 2009 by Christopher Burton |
The following article summarizes a recent national survey of American businesses conducted by Harvard University that was published on September 9, 2009. The complete survey can be found on the Harvard School of Public Health’s website via a link at the end of this article. |
 | Preparing for H1N1
June 19, 2009 by Brian Zawada |
This spring introduced another threat with global business continuity implications. The swine flu, or more appropriately 2009 H1N1, caused alarm among the population as this novel influenza A strain appeared for the first time, originating in rural Mexico. At the time of this writing, the 2009 H1N1 virus continues to spread worldwide, affecting seventy countries with over twenty-one thousand confirmed and probable cases in the United States as logged by the CDC. Thus far, 2009 H1N1 has a relatively low mortality rate, with symptoms resembling seasonal flu. On June 11, 2009 The World Health Organization (WHO raised its alert level to a Phase VI, indicating “increased and sustained transmission in general population”. As a result, the 2009 H1N1 is now classified as a pandemic. |
 | WHO Declares Pandemic Phase 6 – Don’t Panic, but DO PREPARE!
June 11, 2009 by Brian Zawada | The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level to Phase 6, the highest alert level.
This designation means a global pandemic is under way. As of June 11th, almost 30,000 cases have been confirmed globally in 74 countries. However, on a positive note, there have not been any significant mutations in the virus thus far, and the virus has proven to be relatively stable.
What does this mean for your organization? Read this article to find out more about how your organization can best prepare and respond. |
 | Human Resource Policy Considerations During a Pandemic
May 27, 2009 by Ryan Hutton |
Since the April 2009 H1N1 outbreak, business continuity professionals around the world began the process of reevaluating their pandemic preparedness strategies. A commonly-identified preparedness activity is the evaluation of Human Resources policies. In the past, some organizations amended their policies to enable appropriate responses, others drafted amended policies but held them in reserve until a time when they may be necessary. Still others did nothing, hoping for the time to make amendments if needed. However, with the rapid spread of the April 2009 H1N1 outbreak and its origination in North America, those organizations that chose to wait because they made an assumption that they would have time were greatly impacted. |
 | FFIEC Expands Pandemic Planning Guidance for Financial Institutions
January 23, 2008 by Stacy Gardner |
For financial institutions waiting for more formal guidance from the Federal Financial Institution Examination Council (FFIEC) before planning for a pandemic, the time is here. The FFIEC, an interagency council that prescribes uniform standards for the United States financial industry, recently followed up the industry’s “Interagency Advisory on Influenza Pandemic Preparedness” and NCUA’s “Letter to Credit Union 06-CU-06 - Influenza Pandemic Preparedness” with new guidance. |
 | Pandemic Webinar Q&A
October 30, 2007 by The Avalution Team |
Avalution Consulting co-owners Brian Zawada and Robert Giffin recently presented a webinar, sponsored by Continuity Insights, titled "Practical Pandemic Planning For Businesses".
Many questions were submitted by the 200 participants, but due to time restraints, there was not enough time to answer them all, so the questions and our answers are listed below. |
 | Using Our Time Wisely
May 29, 2007 by The Avalution Team | Though bird flu has been discussed in the media for over a decade now, few citizens have actually considered what a pandemic would mean in respect to their daily lives. PandemicFlu.gov recently posted a fantastic article that discusses how a pandemic would impact every American family and business, along with steps everyone can take to mitigate the impacts. |
 | Pandemic Influenza Planning: We Need A New Approach
November 23, 2006 by Brian Zawada |
Selling the threat of pandemic influenza to executives has been met with very mixed results. Avalution`s Brian Zawada analyzes why, and identifies ideas to improve the outcome. |
 | Leveraging The Pandemic Threat to Mature BCM
June 26, 2006 by The Avalution Team | A growing number of organizations (in both the public and private sectors) are looking at the threat posed by the Avian Flu. Nearly every major publication and news outlet has covered the potential impact of a bird flu pandemic, and embedded in their coverage is the reality that most organizations have done little, if anything, to prepare. |
| | Practical Pandemic Planning Advice
May 26, 2006 by Robert Giffin |
As seen in Greece this week, Avian (Bird) Flu is a worldwide health crisis waiting to happen, yet too few companies are prepared to deal with a pandemic. Avalution Consulting’s Rob Giffin provides some much-needed practical advice on preparing for this threat. |
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