NEW YORK–Response measures for a major flu pandemic will mostly be left up to public entities and corporations, with little lead from the federal government, warned an expert epidemiologist at a pandemic seminar here.
Marc Lipsitch, a professor with the department of Epidemiology/Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, told National Underwriter that although there will be advice from the federal government, "they've made it clear that a lot of the policy and reaction will come from local governments and private individuals and businesses."
Mr. Lipsitch, who spoke at a seminar on Thursday titled "Managing the Risk of Pandemic Influenza," sponsored by the modeling firm Risk Management Solutions, noted that some countries such as New Zealand have a detailed national plan for prioritizing essential workers. In the U.S., however, decisions will be left to organizations to decide when to close, who to send home, and who's essential.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
