Preparing for pandemic risk

As MEPRA members will have noticed, hardly a day goes by without a newspaper headline on the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa. With several thousand cases, it is one of the most severe disease outbreaks in recent years.

Somewhat overshadowed by Ebola, but closer to home, is the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers). Discovered in 2012, Mers has so far killed 298 people in Saudi Arabia alone. More than 800 people worldwide are thought to be infected, with new cases being reported from as far as the US and Europe. While that virus is mainly carried by camels, it is still unclear how it jumps the species barrier, but if contracted by humans it may be deadly. The current fatality rate is about 30 per cent.

Before I came to the UAE, I was based in Asia and lived through the 2003 outbreak of Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in Hong Kong. It infected 1,755 people and claimed 299 lives in the city alone. While the impact of Sars was deadly, it was certainly not an event of apocalyptic dimensions. However, the social and economic effects were substantial. What I remember most was the uncertainty and confusion within local companies of how to respond effectively to such an event. Some international firms hastily evacuated their expats, others declared “business as usual” but handed out protective face masks to their employees. Bottles of hand sanitiser lotion were passed around the office, and an innocent cough by a colleague during a meeting would lead to panic-stricken faces around the table. All in all, many companies in Hong Kong, including the company where I worked, were generally ill prepared. There was often no agreed process to manage the impact of the outbreak on staff, customers and business partners.

More than 10 years later, many corporate decision-makers still tend to overlook the risk of a pandemic within their crisis preparedness plans, although there is no doubt that pandemic outbreaks can severely impact supply chains and operations. Travel restrictions may close access to key sites, or prevent employees from leaving them and will limit a company’s ability to serve customers in affected areas. Based on my experiences, there are 10 key steps which can help corporations to prepare for a pandemic threat:

1. Review and fine-tune internal processes and corporate infrastructure to manage a potential outbreak which may require significant numbers of employees to stay at home with no physical access to office facilities.
2. Address business continuity impacts, sudden changes to the market environment as well as potential supply chain problems.
3. Confirm that crisis management, business continuity and emergency response plans include detailed pandemic protocols, including travel policies, hygiene and medical screening guidelines, as well as procedures to access to health support.
4. Verify and update contact lists of key internal and external stakeholders.
5. Ensure plans address how to support and service clients’ needs when travel to their sites may be restricted.
6. Identify ways to minimise employees’ exposure to a potential health threat by providing them with the tools and technologies to work from home, at safe sites, or from another country. Couple this with a clear policy stipulating the circumstances when staff should stay at home to avoid confusion and any unnecessary exposure,
7. Ensure that important corporate information can still be effectively and securely distributed across the company in the event of a pandemic. This includes health updates but also information which relates to business operations. An unrestricted flow of information will enable management to still make informed decisions about business strategy and day-to-day operations even during a pandemic.
8. Continuously monitor the advisories of the World Health Organisation (www.who.int) for the latest developments in affected areas, as well as any information provided by local government sources.
9. Companies should ensure they run internal awareness campaigns to alert staff to the risks of a virus, such as Ebola and Mers, but also to inform them of the kind of precaution that the company has in place to deal with an outbreak. Not only does this ensure a higher level of preparedness across the company, but knowing that plans are in place will also provide comfort and assurance to the workforce.
10. Regular drills and exercises are additional key components of effective preparation for a pandemic threat. They should be conducted on-site at least once a year to ensure employees have the necessary skills to respond effectively in such an event.

The recent outbreak and spread of Ebola and Mers are worrying developments, and they remind companies in the region to assess the risks and test their overall preparedness. It is never too late.

A revised version of this article was published in The National and in the South China Morning Post.