COVER STORY
SWINE FLU
A CAUSE FOR CONCERN OR A PANDEMIC PANIC?
A few years back it was the Avian flu nightmare. Now it’s the swine flu. The truth is that the recent outbreak of the flu which has caused many deaths all over the world seriously concerns the meeting professionals. However, is there a real threat of these viruses to the events and the attendees?
A few months ago the World Health Organization raised a global pandemic alert level, due to the “global spread” of the swine flu. And Greek health officials released a warning that the outbreak could be worse in the fall. “Although we haven’t seen many severe cases in the country so far, things can really change in the fall” said the Greek Minister of Health, responding to WHO’s recent alerts.
However meeting industry experts such as Bruce MacMillan, CA, president/CEO of Meeting Professionals International, are quick to notify meeting planners not to get caught in what may be an unnecessary pandemic panic. “It’s no surprise that media around the world are capitalizing on this story, fueling concerns beyond what the current facts suggest may be necessary at this time. Rather, the pandemic must be monitored and analyzed by meeting pros”, MacMillan said. “The situation is very fluid at the moment, with new information, facts and misunderstandings emerging almost hourly as information gets gathered and analyzed. (The facts) should be monitored closely by all meeting and event professionals” Several other Councils and Organizations are also suggesting a calm response to the flu and they are advising governments and leaders to be very cautious in discouraging travel as a response to the flu. The meeting industry during the last year has already dealt with big problems and it’s in downturn due to the crisis of the economy and the last thing that we need is another reason for canceling meetings based on panic and wrong information.
Read full article in Issue 4