ACTE President Calls For Preparation, Not Panic in the Face of Bird Flu

Preparation not panic and education rather than speculation was the piece of advise given by Association of Corporate Travel Executives´ (ACTE) President Greeley Koch regarding the threat of an avian influence pandemic.

Speaking to over 975 travel management executives and corporate leaders gathered in London last week for the association´s global education conference, Mr. Koch urged the business travel industry to work with government authorities, national and international health organizations, and corporations in planning and preparing to minimize the impact of an avian influenza pandemic.

“There´s a lot of speculation right now as to the potential economic impact and long-term health effects of an avian influenza pandemic,” said Koch during a CNN interview last week in London. “There are more questions than answers. ACTE can best protect the business travel industry by educating our members, raising public awareness, and working with government agencies and international health organizations.”

As a special guest speaker at the conference, Dr. Phyllis Kozarsky, a special consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lauded ACTE and its Airborne Contagion Containment Task Force efforts to stave off a panic and help the business travel industry protect its travelers and minimize the impact of contagion.