What business travelers should know about avian flu

[Guest guest]

What business travelers should know about avian flu

Updated 6/12/2006 12:09 PM by Grossman, a veteran business

traveler and former airline industry executive.

You're going to want to wash your hands after reading this. I have

become compulsive about personal hygiene after listening to some

scary testimony by Dr. Louise Gerberding, director of the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other speakers at the

recent Global Education Conference of the Association of Corporate

Travel Executives (ACTE).

Preparing for pandemic was a major topic at the ACTE Conference,

attended by more than 1,000 corporate travel managers and

representatives from all the major airlines, hotel chains, and car

rental companies. The threat of avian flu is growing rapidly in the

business travel world. This past March, a survey conducted by

Wyatt Worldwide indicated only 34% of U.S corporations said they were

concerned about avian flu. A similar survey of travel managers polled

at ACTE revealed that 90% now cite pandemic as an area of concern.

But here's something disconcerting: Only 28% of travel suppliers at

the ACTE conference were aware of a contagion plan at their companies

and 25% said they were not concerned at all about a possible

pandemic. That is bad news for business travelers because a most

likely place you will encounter a contagious person is in the crowded

space of an airplane cabin or the confines of your hotel. From one

infected traveler in a Hong Kong hotel, SARS was transmitted to

numerous guests on the same floor who subsequently carried it all

over the world, according to Gerberding.

And here's another scary fact: People with SARS were only contagious

while they displayed a fever, so body temperature checks could

isolate contagious people before they boarded an airplane. Avian flu

carriers may be contagious for days before their own symptoms appear,

giving them ample time to unknowingly infect others.

Added to that, avian flu has thus far shown a 50% mortality rate,

while SARS was only lethal 10% of the time, so you can see why there

is great cause for concern.

Another cause for concern: Unlike the typical flus that are most

dangerous for the elderly and those with weak immune systems, healthy

adults are among the most vulnerable to this flu which causes their

immune systems to " overload " and shut down completely.

The good news is that so far only in rare cases has the virus been

known to spread from human to human. But viruses evolve or mutate and

there is a chance that this flu could evolve into a deadly version

that could spread easily between people. And that could happen

overnight according to Gerberding.

" A pandemic would probably go on for at least a year as it marches

across the globe, " Gerberding told the audience. In a severe pandemic

at least two million Americans would die. And in a one-year period,

U.S. medical providers would need 745,000 people on ventilators in

intensive care. By contrast, SARS only sickened 1,500 people and

killed around 55.

Avian flu could become a scalability problem according to

Gerberding. " We do not have enough ventilators, we don't have enough

respiratory therapists, and we certainly do not have enough nurses to

provide this level of care. " If a pandemic strikes, Gerberding warned

that we would need to keep people with other medical problems out of

the hospital and they would have to find alternative sources of

care. " We may not have the 'gold standard' of health care we are used

to in a national emergency, " she said, adding that such a scenario

could lead to " hard choices " and " rationing health care resources. "

Gerberding also warned that we would have only enough vaccines

available for 90 million Americans in a country of 290 million.

Because viruses now travel at jet speed, travel would be hard hit

once again. U.S. corporations would attempt to evacuate employees in

affected areas. " There will be some changes in travel guidance, " said

Gerberding, which probably means that borders would be shut and

international travel would most likely cease. If the virus finds its

way to the American continent, it is also likely that whole regions

would be quarantined. The degree of scale would be so large " it would

make Hurricane Katrina look like a practice exercise, " Gerberding

warned.

Between flu victims, caregivers, and employees too frightened to come

to work, the CDC predicts a 40% or greater absence rate. Most

business travel would become superfluous anyway if business comes to

a standstill. Even a trip to the grocery could be a dangerous outing.

So what can you do to prepare for pandemic? Well, for one, it might

be good to check with your employer to be certain they have a plan in

place in an emergency situation. If you manage your company's travel

spending it might be a good time to ask your airline, hotel, car

rental, and travel agency contacts for a copy of their emergency

plans.

Many companies acquired products to keep tabs on the whereabouts of

their business travelers at any time following the 9/11 attacks. Your

company ought to have this capability as well as a plan to get your

people home quickly in a dangerous situation.

It might also be a good time to re-visit the rules of personal

hygiene. Most viruses are passed from person to person by droplets of

fluid. Coughs and sneezes are the most obvious, but droplets can also

hang in the air or be passed from an infected person to another

person through a simple handshake. Touching an object previously

touched by an infected person, such as a door knob, an elevator

button, or the steering wheel in a rental car can transmit the virus

if you then touch your hand to your eyes, nose or mouth.

For business travelers, exposure to contagion is everywhere. But

having a plan and maintaining good hygiene are critical in minimizing

your risks. So, please develop your plan, wash your hands often and

excuse me if I opt to wave " hello " instead of shaking your hand.

Preparing for pandemic: A checklist

Here is a list of things you can do to prepare before a pandemic is

imminent as well as during a pandemic in order to minimize the impact

on you and your company. Even if the current flu threat does not

become a pandemic, experts warn that eventually there will be one, so

it is prudent to be prepared. Many of the tips presented below are

also applicable to other emergency situations faced by business

travelers.

• Develop a plan for each individual traveler and each business

including telecommuting, coping with widespread absenteeism and how

to evacuate employees in an emergency

• Work closely/share information with other departments like Human

Resources, Safety and Security

• Ask airline, hotel, car rental, and travel agencies for a copy of

their pandemic plans; make this a condition of your contract

• Implement system to track location and communicate with travelers

at all times

• When traveling abroad avoid live poultry markets

• Monitor websites for updated information: The Center for Disease

Control and Prevention, The World Health Organization, National

Strategy on Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan, U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services.

• Get involved with national and local business travel organizations

like the Association of Corporate Travel Executives

http://www.acte.org/ and the National Business Travel Association

http://www.nbta.org/ that could issue guidelines and recommendations

• Get vaccinations when available

• Get a pneumonia shot

• Stock antiviral drugs like Tamiflu

• Develop a relationship with companies like iJet which provide

information on conditions in locales all over the world and companies

like International SOS that can help evacuate employees or obtain

medical assistance on your behalf in an emergency situation

• Stock preventative items like NIOSH-Approved N95 Disposable

Particulate Respirators that block out 95% of all viruses

• Teach employees and practice personal hygiene: Wash hands

frequently especially after shaking hands. Wash hands after touching

any surface that might have been touched previously by another person

who might be infected. Keep your hands away from your mouth, nose,

and eyes at all times.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/grossman/2006-06-12-

grossman_x.htm