Mumps Outbreak A Lost Opportunity?

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Kip Lindberg, vice president of enterprise sales at Ncell Systems, a Minnetonka, Minn.-based solution provider, said the outbreak was an opportunity for government to test its response to a pandemic.

Unfortunately, it appears to have been an opportunity that was squandered. Lindberg said he works with a Minnesota-based government agency that deals with disaster preparedness and asked his contact at the time about how the mumps experience impacted his planning. "He said his agency hasn't even looked at it," Lindberg said. "Here's a real-world test! Every official should have a three-ring binder on what to do in a pandemic. This is their case study. This is their cookbook."

The case also should alert large businesses to the dangers a pandemic or other disaster can bring if 10 percent or 20 percent of their employees don't show up for work, Lindberg said.

"They need to look at their demographics," he said. "They may see in a call center that the majority of employees are women, and that most of them have children and might stay home in an epidemic. If an insurance company's call center shuts down, it can't process claims, which affects its money flow. And a hospital needs to know that a possible disruption at an insurance company call center could impact its cash flow. Companies need insight into their supply chain."

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