Communication will be critical for insurers. If Ebola starts to appear in random locations and cities, it may affect more people and force them to change their behavior. Insurers need to communicate both internally and externally about how to handle these changes and their impacts.

Aon has been communicating with its clients on a regular basis through white papers, information on frequently asked questions, and travel advisories. “Review your procedures and go through your communications strategy and any restrictions you want to impose on travel,” Nomes advises. “Most companies have this in place, they just haven't thought about it in the context of Ebola.”

Business continuity is another issue for insurers and their clients. Nomes says businesses should look at how they could be impacted by the virus (e.g., loss of workforce, availability of products, etc.), check the insurance and redundancies they already have in place, and examine the possible financial impacts and existing procedures. One question to consider is how information would be disclosed both internally to employees and publicly to clients if someone is impacted by the virus.

After the exposure

What also comes into play are the restoration and cleaning of environments exposed to individuals who knowingly or unknowingly carried the Ebola virus. The U.S. does not have a national standard that dictates how environments should be cleaned after exposure to a biological contamination event.

How cleaning is handled in the wake of an exposure has changed. Mechanical cleaning is faster, safer and far more effective than hand cleaning, but there is no equipment approved by the government for use in these situations.

Halden Shane, M.D., CEO and chairman of the board of TOMI Environmental Solutions, has successfully used his decontamination equipment in foreign countries against viruses like the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and noroviruses, but it has not been approved for use against the Ebola virus.

“The government hasn't approved this technology to be used in these situations,” explains Shane. “If you don't test it in a lab, you can't get the approval, but labs won't allow the equipment to be tested for Ebola,” which creates a catch-22 situation.

Shane says that understanding infection control and the proper use of personal protective equipment is critical. “Level 4 infectious disease protocols should be used at a minimum by anyone entering an environment where there has been Ebola.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a number of resources on their website detailing how to reduce the risk of exposure, safety issues for healthcare workers, travel advisories and infection control recommendations. Insurers and employers need to be aware of the exposure risks and understand what risk management strategies can be employed to protect workers and clients.

Vendors hired to clean areas exposed to the Ebola virus will need to have the proper insurance and training for working in a high risk environment. Many soft goods such as linens and some furnishings will not be able to be effectively cleaned. They will need to be bagged and incinerated, then transferred and disposed of offsite. This creates exposures in the transportation of hazardous materials.

Since pollution exclusions usually don't apply to a virus, it is unlikely that they would be triggered for an Ebola exposure says David Dybdahl, president of American Risk Management Resources Network, LLC. However, carriers could become liable for the cleanup and restoration of properties following an exposure to the Ebola virus.

While the dangers are very real, insurers can help their clients assess their risk and examine their existing policies to see what losses are already covered and what strategies can be employed to minimize any exposures.