U.S. shippers work on pandemic plans; High on the list for antivirals
March 12, 2006
From a Reuters report about pandemic plans at U.S. shipping companies:
Because U.S. manufacturers and retailers increasingly rely on shipping companies to provide "just-in-time" goods to keep inventories low, even a small supply gap could have a severe impact on the economy."The increasing reliance on just-in-time practices means a disruption anywhere along the line could cause serious shortages for manufacturers and retailers," said Stephen Brown, a corporate finance director at rating agency Fitch Ratings.
"A regional outbreak would no longer be limited to that region, but would cascade into others as well," he added.
The shippers are building on what they learned from the SARS outbreak:
Both FedEx and UPS said experiences with the outbreak of the deadly SARS virus in 2002 and 2003, which killed 774 people and caused worldwide panic, have helped with contingency plans for possible pandemics."We provided masks and gloves to staff and constantly updated them on the location of new cases," UPS's [Norman] Black said.
Fletcher Hall, head of the American Trucking Association's influenza pandemic task force, says trucking companies would be trying to keep the economy going while keeping their workers healthy.
"We can't afford to lose more drivers," Hall said. "For that reason, I assume we are high on the U.S. government's list to receive antiviral drugs."Transportation workers shipping fuel, water, food and medical suppliers are ranked second by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services among population groups that would receive drugs in the event of a pandemic. The first tier, out of four, includes medical staff and workers manufacturing the antiviral drugs.
FedEx and UPS together ship more than 20 million packages daily.