Medical Dilemma: What is more serious a bedbug or a bacteria Superbug?

So it seems we as professionals are very concerned about bedbugs. While I know this is a serious situation, I would propose we start to look at something that is a bit more disconcerting. For those that I have spoken to and have had the dubious distinction of hearing me talk or lecture on Risk Management, you know I have tried to remind everyone that H1N1 would not be the last “pandemic” to make an impact. Well, we don’t have a pandemic YET however, if you have been following the news, you will have heard of NDM-1. According to an AP report on September 13, 2010, “A new gene that can turn many types of bacteria into superbugs resistant to nearly all antibiotics has sickened people in three states and is popping up all over the world, health officials reported.”

Here is what we know so far. According to health officials, this bacterium has been seen all over the world but has originated in India. The three documented cases in the U.S. have all been associated with travel in India or having just moved to the U.S. from India. As you may recall from your Social Studies classes or maybe from Jeopardy, India is not a tiny country with a small population. In addition, to relate it to our profession, there are a number of clients, attendees and speakers who have either lived or travelled in India within the year. Now, I have no documented numbers but I am sure you can think of someone you met recently who has been to India.

Here is my concern. How is India going to react to this issue? How is the World Health Organization going to react and more importantly are we as meeting professionals going to be proactive at all? If H1N1 taught us anything, it should be that we cannot wait until this issue because a problem.

Normally I would provide a number of possible solutions or recommendations based on this issue. This issue may not have a solution, but we as professionals can take some simple actions that will enable us to be proactive should this superbug issue impact our professon.

1. Establish a method for you to track stories about things like NDM-1 or H1N1. You can do this by setting up alerts through a myriad of search engine sites. Google seems to be leading the way in this but I am sure there are others that might give you the same results. Just make sure you use terms that are specific. If you choose to set up an alert for pandemic, you may get stories that are too technical for most people. If you hold meetings in specific international areas, focus on those regions. If not, look at your meeting history or your client’s meeting history and focus on those areas.

2. Develop communication plans now rather than when a pandemic or situation arises: For example, when there are potential hurricanes here in Florida, I always recommend that my clients post a web face page to notify attendees, clients, suppliers and speakers etc… of awareness of the situation and steps that are being implemented to ensure the safety of the all. The same can be done with a pandemic situation. Work with your web master or develop your own methodology to rapidly address the situation using technology at your disposal. The quicker you provide the information, the more comfort you will be giving those attendees that the situation is being handled. If you don’t have any updates, tell them that as well. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone as well. Sometimes we rely too heavily on people reading the web.

3. Use primary sources for all your information. Bookmark the World Health Organization’s website. The same should be done for US Dept of Health and Human Services and even the CDC. If you rely on the media or 3rd party web sites, you may cause more harm by spreading information that is not fully vetted. You owe your clients and all attendees an accurate picture of what is going on and what is being done.

While I could make at least four or five more recommendations, I think the ones listed above will start you in the right direction. As a consultant on risk management for our profession, I encourage you to use your resources to make sure you are ready for this issue or any other ones that may impede your success.