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November 2009
Current Issue

Be Prepared, Not Panicked

The industry-wide emphasis on cooperation, collaboration and responsible communication is strengthening meeting professionals’ resolve to be prepared, not panicked, about H1N1. 

By Dian Barber

In preparation for the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 2009, alcohol-based sanitizer stations were set up throughout Seattle’s Washington State Convention & Trade Center. The festival was the best attended to date (60,750), and it seemed to have escaped further H1N1 complications. Yet, the day after the event ended, organizers learned that some attendees had confirmed cases of swine flu. In total, only around 100 people had become sick—a mere 0.165 percent of attendees.

“We knew there was a potential for some attendees to become sick,” said Robert Khoo, business manager and show director for PAX. “Any time you have a connector event where people from other geographical areas are converging on a hub and will be in close proximity, there is always that possibility.”

Once organizers knew that some attendees had swine flu, they took to the Web to get their late-breaking message out, primarily leveraging Twitter and the event’s own Web site.

A list of outgoing flights and trains of attendees with confirmed cases of H1N1 was posted online and updated as often as necessary.

Because the general age range of tech-savvy PAX attendees (23-32) was not a group at serious risk, the concern shifted to focus on whom the ill attendees could potentially come in contact.

“The idea to list plane and train travel data just seemed to make sense,” Khoo said. “Why would you not want to get that information out?”

PAX organizers are currently in the early stages of researching new methods and technology to mitigate similar problems at PAX East next March in Boston. One+

DIAN BARBER is a data wrangler and freelance contributor to One+.

Tips and Advice for Meeting Professionals 

By now, we all know about the importance of regular hand washing and the appropriate use of alcohol-based gels. But what else can meeting professionals do to help ensure their own health and the health of event delegates?

Clean Common Areas
The 2009 H1N1 “swine flu” virus can survive on surfaces for up to eight hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So it makes sense to pay extra attention to the cleaning of commonly handled objects (door handles, keyboards, cell phones, pens, etc.) to help reduce the spread of not only H1N1 but also other viruses and bacteria.

“It is well established that influenza viruses can live on fomites and hands,” said John Swartzberg, MD, FACP, clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, Berkeley. “The controversy is whether it can transmit any way other than being aerosolized.”

Sterilizing Lights
Many hospitals use ultra-violet lighting for sterilization purposes, why shouldn’t meeting professionals? A high-output, handheld ultra-violet light unit can help decontaminate surfaces and commonly handled objects, according to Steven Welty, CAFS, CIE, LEED AP, an airborne infectious disease consultant who designs systems that sterilize, capture and/or kill airborne particles.

Clear Air
Both Welty and Swartzberg stress their belief that viruses are transmitted primarily through aerosolization, so don’t forget about the air when considering the sanitation of common areas. Welty advises meeting planners check the MERV ratings of air filters at venues for a rating of at least 13, check levels of outside air dilution and humidity levels.

Higher Humidity
Enhancing indoor humidity may be able to reduce the transmission distance for viruses. But don’t expect a miracle; Swartzberg says the use of humidifiers won’t prevent the spread of H1N1.

Clean Sinuses
“Although there is no direct evidence that nasal irrigation is effective prevention against H1N1 specifically, there is some evidence … that it helps prevent viral upper respiratory infections generally,” said David Rabago, M.D., assistant professor of family medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “Theoretically, nasal irrigation could help prevent infection by H1N1 through direct action and by improved mucociliary action i.e. general health of the nasal mucosa.”

2009 H1N1 Influenza A Virus Resource Links 

 

H1N1 Social Media Tools