April 28, 2008
Bronson Unveils Pandemic Flu Planning Kit For Businesses Involved In The Production, Delivery Or Sale Of Food
Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced that his department has developed a planning guide to assist small businesses prepare for and respond to a pandemic influenza outbreak.
Called the “Pandemic Influenza Agriculture Planning Toolkit,” the 28-page guide walks business owners through various steps in planning and responding to such an outbreak, including accounting for the whereabouts of employees, storing emergency supplies and establishing communications with key contacts during the emergency. It can be accessed on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services web site at www.doacs.state.fl.us.
“It is vital that businesses, especially ones involved in the production or delivery of food, have a plan so they can continue operating and feeding our citizens during a pandemic flu outbreak or an emergency of any kind,” Bronson said. “We developed this guidebook because it occurred to us at recent workshops that most small agribusinesses lack the financial resources or personnel to develop preparedness plans of their own despite the critical role they play in the production and delivery of our food supply.”
Bronson said the guidebook can be altered or tailored to address the needs of most agricultural operations and encourages such businesses to review the tool kit.
Pandemic influenza is a global disease outbreak in which a new influenza virus emerges; a virus against which people have little, if any, immunity and one for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily from person to person, causing serious illnesses, and can quickly move across an entire country or continent.
Such a disease would cause mass absenteeism, put a major strain on a nation’s health care system and disrupt untold vital services.
For more information:
Terence McElroy
(850) 488-3022
mcelrot@doacs.state.fl.us
