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Source: http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/news/080924bird.shtml
Regional press news - this story published 24 September 2008
Hundreds of journalists to get bird flu protection
by holdthefrontpage staff
A major newspaper publisher is offering free medication to its staff to help the company survive a potential bird flu pandemic.
Daily Mail and General Trust is offering all 17,000 of its employees free doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu at an overall cost of ?850,000.
Further doses of the drug will also be available to close friends and families of DMGT staff members for a payment of ?50 per dose.
The scheme will apply to all journalists at the Daily Mail and its sister titles as well as the Northcliffe Media group of regional daily and weekly titles.
Details of the Pandemic Influenza Management Scheme were set out in a letter this week from group employment director Ken Thompson.
He said that scientists believed a flu pandemic was "inevitable" and would lead to "significant and sustained disruption to our businesses."
It continues: "The development of a vaccine to treat a pandemic virus cannot begin until there is an outbreak of the emerging strain. A vaccine would therefore not be available to the general population for six months after the start of the pandemic.
"Antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu provide an alternative to vaccines but will not provide immunity to influenza. They limit its effects and increase the chances of survival."
Mr Thompson said that the UK government has been stockpiling Tamiflu but they only have sufficient supply to cover 25pc of the population which includes all essential workers.
He said DMGT recognised the importance of its talented people and that it had taken the action in an attempt to protect all its employees from the threat of pandemic influenza.
Under the scheme, each employee will get one treatment course of Tamiflu to be dispensed by occupational health provider Healthcare Connections.
Staff will also have the option to purchase further doses via HCC for family and close friends. The scheme will be operated via a secure web database on which employees will have to register.
Mr Thompson's letter concludes: "We all hope that avian influenza will not become the threat to public health that the experts have warned us about.
"That given, DMGT has decided to do everything we can to protect the occupational wellbeing of our employees and further ensure that we are able to continue to operate our businesses in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak."
Neither Mr Thompson nor anyone else from DMGT has been available for further comment on the scheme.
Regional press news - this story published 24 September 2008
Hundreds of journalists to get bird flu protection
by holdthefrontpage staff
A major newspaper publisher is offering free medication to its staff to help the company survive a potential bird flu pandemic.
Daily Mail and General Trust is offering all 17,000 of its employees free doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu at an overall cost of ?850,000.
Further doses of the drug will also be available to close friends and families of DMGT staff members for a payment of ?50 per dose.
The scheme will apply to all journalists at the Daily Mail and its sister titles as well as the Northcliffe Media group of regional daily and weekly titles.
Details of the Pandemic Influenza Management Scheme were set out in a letter this week from group employment director Ken Thompson.
He said that scientists believed a flu pandemic was "inevitable" and would lead to "significant and sustained disruption to our businesses."
It continues: "The development of a vaccine to treat a pandemic virus cannot begin until there is an outbreak of the emerging strain. A vaccine would therefore not be available to the general population for six months after the start of the pandemic.
"Antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu provide an alternative to vaccines but will not provide immunity to influenza. They limit its effects and increase the chances of survival."
Mr Thompson said that the UK government has been stockpiling Tamiflu but they only have sufficient supply to cover 25pc of the population which includes all essential workers.
He said DMGT recognised the importance of its talented people and that it had taken the action in an attempt to protect all its employees from the threat of pandemic influenza.
Under the scheme, each employee will get one treatment course of Tamiflu to be dispensed by occupational health provider Healthcare Connections.
Staff will also have the option to purchase further doses via HCC for family and close friends. The scheme will be operated via a secure web database on which employees will have to register.
Mr Thompson's letter concludes: "We all hope that avian influenza will not become the threat to public health that the experts have warned us about.
"That given, DMGT has decided to do everything we can to protect the occupational wellbeing of our employees and further ensure that we are able to continue to operate our businesses in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak."
Neither Mr Thompson nor anyone else from DMGT has been available for further comment on the scheme.
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