As businesses and government entities continue to monitor the current outbreak of influenza A/H1N1 and take measures necessary to protect their operations, employees, and customers, they might use what they learn from this experience to strengthen their preparedness and response plans — especially in the event a more severe viral strain emerges later in the year or a pandemic occurs at some point in the future.

"The current outbreak of A/H1N1 has tested organizations more than they expected," said Gary Lynch, a managing director of Marsh and global leader of the firm's Supply Chain Risk Management Practice. "And now, they should be seeking to capture the concerns in a dialogue, lessons learned, and lessons not learned, especially in speaking with all the stakeholders and their extended supply chain."

Mr. Lynch spoke during a one-hour global Webcast held recently by Marsh, the world's leading insurance broker and risk advisor, for nearly 1,000 businesses and government entities.

Toby L. Merlin, MD, deputy director, Influenza Coordination Unit at the Centers for Disease Control, participated in Marsh's Webcast and said there may be a second wave of disease in the late summer, early fall that may be different from the current outbreak.

"It could possibly be more severe," he cautioned. "This virus is quite capable of either mutating, or re-assorting with other circulating viruses to change the nature of the disease it causes. People can watch the course of the disease in the southern hemisphere, which might be predictive of disease we're going to see here."

In addition to Dr. Merlin and Mr. Lynch, Marsh's Webcast featured insights from Sandra Carson, vice president of Crisis Management, Sysco Corporation, and Daniel Seewald, director of Commercial Operations, Roche, as well as Marsh experts Robert Wilkerson, a leader in the firm’s Crisis Management Practice; Patrick Hickey, Marsh's Risk Focus leader for Latin America & the Caribbean, and Paul McVey, leader of Marsh's National Property Claims Practice. Brian Elowe, a managing director of Marsh's Global Risk Management division, moderated the discussion.

Replays of the Marsh Webcast, "H1N1 Flu and Pandemic Preparedness," may be accessed free of charge.

In addition to the report, Marsh has created a number of resources for businesses related to the pandemic, including:

• Marsh Pandemic Preparedness Center;
• Marsh 34-page report, H1N1 Influenza: Preparing for and Responding to a Pandemic, which is available free of charge;
• Marsh H1N1 influenza and pandemic e-mail alerts, available free to those who register for them.