Although this is an important disease economically for poultry farmers, transmission to people (even those in close contact with poultry or other birds) occurs rarely, and only with some strains. Sensible behavior and good personal hygiene can significantly reduce any risk of contracting avian influenza, and advice for Shell staff and travelers is given on the Shell Health Services website,  http://sww-shs.shell.com/health. In addition, external Internet access to this information via www.shell.com/us/help will be available shortly to ensure access for all U.S. employees in the event the Shell intranet cannot be accessed. There has been increasing concern that these outbreaks of avian influenza could lead to an influenza pandemic – that is, a strain of the disease that can be transferred between people and spreads rapidly to affect almost all countries and regions around the world. . The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised governments and organizations to make preparations for a potential pandemic, and Shell is following this advice. Influenza pandemics generally affect more people, cause more severe illness and result in much more serious disruption to society than ‘ordinary’ influenza. In the event of a pandemic, a quarter or more of the working population may have to take up to 10-14 days off work at some stage; in addition, some people may need time off to care for family members or may have difficulty getting to work if they utilize public transportation.
Due to these implications, a Shell Planning Team and Working Group have been established in the Corporate Center to develop policy and progress the appropriate Group-wide actions, including providing guidance to Shell companies around the world. The overall approach is to align with WHO recommendations. A substantial amount of general and Medical information is already posted on the Shell Health Services website, and additional and updated material is being continually added. This information will appear on our external site as well.
Each pandemic is different and the impact on Shell businesses cannot be fully established until more is known about how a pandemic is evolving. Nevertheless, contingency planning, in the U.S. is well advanced. Our objective is to identify prudent precautionary measures aimed at safeguarding our staff and operations; and to coordinate our actions with CDC, state and local public health departments, partners, contractors and customers to ensure that we can continue to operate safely and strive to meet our obligations to them.
We will also keep our staff informed about the situation as it develops, both in terms of any implications our contingency planning may have on individual roles and responsibilities, and also so that everyone knows what steps Shell is, and is not, taking at a corporate level so they can be better informed in considering their own personal circumstances in the event of a pandemic.
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