Do you need a mask?

I was speaking to a supplier of FFP3 masks today and he was telling me how there is a major log jam building with the supply of protective equipment for H1N1 now that the pandemic is spreading and case numbers are increasing.

He was advising that 3M are only supplying the same number of masks to clients as previously ordered before Swine Flu which is limiting supply and that many government and public sector clients are insisting on the 3M branded products – probably because they haven’t looked at the alternatives.

There is also a growing shortage of precursor materials (eg filtration cloth) that have been approved for use in the masks – as you will be aware the masks, manufacturing process and suppliers need to pass various stringent tests to qualify for EN 149:2001 etc – which is also putting pressure on the supply chain.

My contact was telling me about foreign government orders of several hundred thousand with backlogs of 8 weeks and other orders for several million masks in the pipeline.

With the vaccine likely to arrive in small quantities only and after the localised epidemics due to hit UK toward the end of August it is already beginning to look rather late in the day for companies to order personal protective equipment (PPE) for their staff.  Particularly when you then factor in the testing kit and training/testing required before issue.

In light of this, my wife (who is a school nurse) and others are taking independent action to protect themselves and their families in case the virus takes a turn for the worse and people start to die in greater numbers.

We’ll probably buy a couple of boxes of FFP3 masks (15 to a box) for each of the family so that we can continue to attend school and work as well as do the weekly shop and travel on public transport.

One of the kids has had open heart surgery so we need to minimise the chances of them getting the bug – even if it is relatively mild so far.

Drop me a line if you are interested in securing some masks for your company or family and I will try to get you a supply before the end of July 2009.

Meanwhile, the message remains the same: catch it, kill it, bin it and keep washing hands and hard surfaces to minimise the spread of the virus in the home, school and workplace.  Everywhere else – keep you hands in your pockets!

@Veterus

When pandemic breaks out what do you do?

There’s been a brief flurry of activity with one of our client organizations over the past 24 hours because a family member of an outsourced contractor was confirmed as a carrier of Influenza A/H1N1.

This has provided us with a useful opportunity to consider: “What do we do when we get the flu?”

Many pandemic plans (including the NHS’s plan) were written a couple of years ago so you may need to consider whether the actions that you thought you would take back then still apply in the light of experience and emerging information about the current virus – this is in any case best practice, and we have the luxury of time to reflect and consider options which might not have been the case when we wrote the plans.

The outcome of our machinations might be summarized as follows:

• It’s business as usual but we need to reassure staff and re-emphasise the hygiene messages (handwashing, hard surface cleaning and “catch it, bin it, kill it”).
• Staff should remain vigilant for symptoms of influenza like illnes (ILI) and call NHS Choices (or use the website algorithm) if they believe they have an ILI so they can be screened and if necessary issued with anti-virals.
• Managers should consider the impact of suddenly losing those staff linked to “case 1″ if they are invited to go into “voluntary isolation” en masse or indeed a related school closure affects childcare for a staff cluster.
• Any key person dependencies should be mitigated through shadowing and writing down desk procedures or other key information.

Official advice is that personal protective equipment (PPE) does not have to be issued unless staff are healthcare workers (HCW) or social care workers that are caring for probable or confirmed cases of H1N1. [Essentially "caring" means regular very close contact].

But what if an employee dies?

Of course this is all well and good from a manager’s perspective but for the frightened employee that read about the first swine flu death last Sunday and is now being told that they have to share a 6 hour round trip in a vehicle with someone who might have swine flu things might look different!

There’s certainly a case for a “hearts and minds” briefing face-to-face to help people understand the degree of risk and how they can reconcile or manage it in order that you can encourage as many people as possible to continue coming to work – at least for now – but it may only be a short time before people realise how much happier they would be in the truck with “case 1″ if they were wearing an FFP3 respirator…

As I’ve found when dealing with chemical weapons and radiation over the years, what people can’t see scares them – regardless of how much you talk about it but putting a mask and goggles on (or a seatbelt/motorcycle helmet) can do an awful lot to raise risk appetite!

@Veterus

Medical experts say practising good hygiene remains the most effective way for individuals to protect themselves and others from swine flu. You should always:

• Ensure everyone washes their hands regularly with soap and water.
• Clean surfaces regularly to get rid of germs.
• Use tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
• Place used tissues in a bin as soon as possible.

You can also prepare now in case the swine flu becomes widespread in the UK by:

• Establishing a network of “flu friends” consisting of friends and relatives who can help if you fall ill. They could, for example, collect medicines and other supplies for you, so you wouldn’t have to go out.
• Making sure that you have an adequate amount of cold and cough remedies in your medicine cupboard in case you or your family are affected by swine flu.

Keep an eye on this site for updates and insight.

We can also supply FFP3 respirators to individual and corporate clients.  Drop us a line if you’d like to pre-order, the factories are flat out and supplies are already taking months to arrive.

@Veterus 15 Jun 09