The impact of staff sickness on maintenance of services will be one of the main challenges for the Isle of Man in a local flu pandemic, according to a Government strategic plan published today (Friday July 24, 2009).

The plan, updated to take into account the current swine flu virus, includes assumptions that up to one in five of the Island’s workforce could be off work at the peak of a pandemic.

Unlike England, the Isle of Man is still in the ‘containment phase’ for swine flu, with 11 confirmed cases so far, but more cases are expected.

The plan states ‘One of the biggest challenges that will face the Government and the Island’s community during the influenza pandemic will be the maintenance of services, so that life and work can go on as normally as possible.

‘During a pandemic, our overall aim will be to encourage those who are well to carry on as normally as possible, whilst taking basic precautions to protect themselves from infection and lessen the risk of spreading influenza to others.

‘However, absenteeism is likely to be much higher than normal across all sectors, especially if the virus affects those of working age more than other groups.’

The 50-page document, entitled ‘A Strategic Plan for Preparing, Coping with and Recovering from an Influenza Pandemic in the Isle of Man’, is published by the Chief Secretary’s Office, which has been co-ordinating pandemic preparations across Government.

It includes a foreword from Chief Minister Tony Brown MHK, who warns that an outbreak ‘may place considerable pressures on the daily life of our Island and may require people in the public, private and voluntary sectors to work together to respond to the challenge.’

The document covers the potential effects of a pandemic, and the structures and plans that are in place to deal with these.

It is available online at the Chief Secretary’s Office website www.gov.im/cso and the Government’s dedicated pandemic site www.gov.im/swineflu