IBM service hedges flu pandemic

IBM is introducing a service that seeks to answer a question that few would like to ask: Are we ready for a flu pandemic?

The Contingency Planning Assessment, offered by IBM Global Services, is designed to give corporations a better picture of the vulnerabilities they could face in the event of a widespread outbreak of avian influenza.

In the past year, the bird flu has spread through bird populations in Asia and Europe, and scientists fear it could spread to humans, causing a flu pandemic.

Possible disruptions from a pandemic include sick employees and breakdowns in basic infrastructure, such as transportation and government services.

"Customers are being more proactive in trying to understand the risk and vulnerability they have from all hazards, natural and man-made," said Brent Woodworth, global leader of IBM's Crisis Response Team.

IBM will examine a company or government's business processes and technical infrastructure, and make recommendations on how to deal with an outbreak.

Specific questions Woodworth said IBM could help companies answer include: "How do I operate my business if I have to operate with dramatically reduced staff, and what impact will my suppliers have?" and "Where do I downsize operations and how?"

Financial services or medical-related industries are obvious candidates for the service, Woodworth said.

The Contingency Planning Assessment is offered starting at $10,000. Prices for a more complete service for large corporations or governments can reach about $150,000.

A report from AMR Research found that 68 percent of companies with revenue over $1 billion were not prepared for a pandemic such as a flu outbreak.

[terrasegura]

Preparing for pandemic flu

One of the biggest possible players in preparing for a possible pandemic flu is informed families and their neighborhoods. The neighborhood role in disaster preparedness and response has atropied since WW2, but it needs to be brought back. Together with businesses and community organizations, neighborhoods organized to help their residents with quarantines and survival needs would provide an invaluable complement to the activities of governments, which the White House has made clear will be inadequate to responding to an pandemic.

An ad hoc nonprofit group is creating a template for neighborhood-level pandemic flu preparedness. For more information, see triple-w prepare4flu dot org.

[mrjohna]

Pandemic Bird Flu Preparedness Guide

A free Pandemic Bird Flu Preparedness Guide is available at http://www.pandemicinfosite.com

[mrjohna]

Pandemic Bird Flu Preparedness Guide

A free Pandemic Bird Flu Preparedness Guide is available at http://www.pandemicinfosite.com