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Survey shows low levels of pandemic preparedness among multinationals, local businesses operating in Singapore

15 July 2009

Singapore

An International SOS survey released today showed that multinational and local companies operating in Singapore have low levels of understanding and preparedness to counter the spread of the  H1N1 flu.

Amid the worst pandemic threat on a global scale in 40 years, a recently completed survey of 150 multinationals and Singapore businesses operating in the Republic showed that only half of the respondents said that pandemic preparedness is “critical” in relation to the continuity of their organisations. Despite the fact that the H1N1 virus has started spreading within the Singapore community, the remainder of the respondents said that pandemic preparedness is only “important” – while others say it is “not important” – to the continuity of their businessFurther, only one quarter of respondents said that they have completed implementing pandemic preparedness measures. The rest of the respondents are either looking for directions or are now in various levels of implementation of pandemic preparedness measures. The survey, carried out by International SOS Singapore, was completed in late June among MNCs operating in Singapore, as well as with local businesses. A large majority of the respondents were managers representing a gamut of industries, including financial services, aerospace, infrastructure, information technology and retail.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), H1N1 appears to be more contagious than seasonal influenza. The secondary attack rate of seasonal influenza ranges from 5% to 15%. Current estimates of the secondary attack rate of H1N1 range from 22% to 33%. Given that this is a novel virus, and that the majority of the world’s population currently has little or no immunity. WHO project that over 2 billion people could be infected over the next 18 months. Considering that the first announcement of the outbreak of H1N1 was announced by the WHO in April 2009, Asian businesses have had ample time to conceptualise and build up their preparedness. “The survey clearly indicates that the majority of the companies operating in Singapore have yet to be prepared against the H1N1 virus. There is a dire urgency for these businesses to take more aggressive measures to ensure business continuity and mitigate risks as the magnitude of the full impact from H1N1 of swine origin remains to be seen, but is projected to be significant over the next 18 months,” said Dr. Robert Allen, Regional Medical Director, North Asia, International SOS.

The latest survey results in Singapore mirror the findings of a survey completed in May on businesses in Hong Kong. In the survey of the Hong Kong market, only 27% of business operating in Hong Kong completed implementation plans for H1N1 preparedness. In the Singapore survey, findings showed that only slightly more than half of the respondents felt that the current level of urgency in preparing for further escalation of H1N1 was “somewhat more urgent” than compared to one year ago. Only 12% of respondents said that it is “very urgent” to be prepared to counter the escalation.Dr Allen also pointed out that businesses operating in Singapore are adopting a combination of strategies that are effective and ineffective in implementing pandemic preparedness measures. Some of the effective measures include stockpiling anti-virals and conducting employee training. However, the ineffective measures include imposing general travel restrictions. In the survey, 64% of respondents rated imposing travel restrictions as their top preparedness measure. “We find imposing travel restriction as an ineffective measure because H1N1 infections are spreading from within the Singapore community. Businesses need to move ahead of the curve here,” he said.  According to Dr. Robert Allen, “Companies should be creating plans that are flexible to include multiple options and levels of response depending on the activity and spread of disease within their own community. In addition, these plans need to focus on key vulnerabilities such as traveller risk and the work environment”.

Other results from the survey include:

-36% of respondents said that they will use only business critical personnel during a pandemic; and

-98% of respondents said that they pay employees if they are quarantined or asked to stay at home.

Up to now, International SOS has assisted over 100 companies to develop their pandemic plans and there are over 350 companies subscribing to International SOS' "Pandemic Information Service"; an online information source providing member companies with the most valuable and current pandemic situation updates on daily basis. In response to the H1N1 flu outbreak, International SOS has posted comprehensive information on H1N1 flu to its pandemic preparedness website, http://www.internationalsos.com/pandemicpreparedness/ to educate members of the public and the media. This website is continuously updated and provides updates on the situation, travel recommendations and answers to frequently asked questions.

About International SOS

Operating in over 70 countries, International SOS (http://www.internationalsos.com/) helps organizations manage the health and safety risks facing their travellers and global workforce. Its services range from consultancy and planning services to 24-hour medical and security advice and assistance. It also provides emergency medical and security evacuations when there is a critical illness, accident or civil unrest. In 2008, the company handled over 1,000,000 assistance cases, including nearly 18,000 evacuations. On average, International SOS handles 1 evacuation every 29 minutes and receives more than 4.25 million calls per year.