pandemic flu preparedness

In 2005, ExxonMobil initiated a plan for preparing and responding to the possibility of a flu pandemic. We are concerned about the health and safety of our employees and their families, and recognize that our industry plays a critical role in the infrastructure of countries all over the world.

A corporate working group, managed by the Emergency Preparedness and Response organization, created a template for a Pandemic Flu Preparedness and Response Plan, which was reviewed by the Public Issues Committee of the Board of Directors.

Each business line and support function has identified its critical operations and necessary staffing requirements. We have also developed detailed, country-specific plans to address business continuity under the constraints of potential high levels of employee absence and interruptions in basic services. Workshops have been held in countries in which ExxonMobil or its affiliates operate, to communicate the guidance and to support the completion of Pandemic Flu response plans. The resulting plans were then tested in these countries before being finalized and integrated into existing processes and structures for Emergency Response and Business Continuity at regional and global levels. These plans will be reviewed, tested and updated on an ongoing basis and critical personnel will receive periodic training. ExxonMobil is also working with vendors and key business partners as they finalize their own preparations.

In addition, we are providing pandemic flu awareness training to our employees worldwide to provide them with information on ExxonMobil pandemic flu preparation plans as well as guidance and resources to help prepare themselves and their families.

What is a "global flu pandemic"?
Flu pandemics are very different than the seasonal flu that we all experience each year. While as much as 20 percent of the population of any country develops influenza during seasonal flu epidemics, less than one in 100 individuals will be hospitalized and less than one in 1,000 will die. This is because most adults have some immunity to human flu viruses that have been in circulation for many years.

In a global flu pandemic, we will be encountering a new virus to which no one has immunity. Up to 35 percent of the population could become ill, and a higher percentage will be hospitalized than with seasonal flu.

A typical seasonal flu virus is expected to cause approximately one million deaths worldwide; in the case of a pandemic flu, if the virus is highly virulent, experts estimate that there could be many millions more. The pandemic could occur in 2-3 waves, and last as long as 12-18 months. At some point, enough immunity will have built up in the population so that the virus will join all the other human influenza viruses that cause seasonal flu epidemics.