With researchers into avian flu claiming only partial success with the latest batch of vaccine (it works only half the time and only when given in big doses), Mercer Human Resource Consulting has put out another report on bird flu, this time on how prepared companies are for a potential pandemic.

Nearly two weeks ago, I had blogged on a report Mercer had put out on what companies need to do to prepare. In keeping with the best PR campaigns, they must have saved this report as a follow-up. Old PR rule: never miss an opportunity to take two bites of the cherry.

So how prepared are companies for the bird flu. Not very, according this latest report. While 90 per cent forecast a moderate to high impact because of high absenteeism, only 47 per cent said they had continuity plans. And almost 70 per cent said a pandemic would hurt profits but only 17 per cent had set aside a budget to prepare for it. Go figure!!!

Actually, the picture is worse than that because those statistics are skewed by the results from those countries which were hit with the Asian SARS crisis in 2003 and which are now reporting greater preparedness.

For example, 29 per cent of Chinese organisations said they had a budget for pandemic planning, Singapore reported 22 per cent and in Hong Kong 17 per cent.

Now, compare that with 7 per cent in the US, 9 per cent in Canada and 12 per cent in Europe.