# 3368
Today a long article (of which I’ve only reproduced the opening paragraphs . . .follow the links) on the economic impacts of this pandemic on Argentina via the BBC.
Some of the numbers, like the number of fatalities mentioned in this article, are a little behind. But it is an excellent overview of the economic stress that Argentina is now operating under.
A hat tip goes to the hard working Indigo Girl on the Allnurses pandemic forum for posting this article.
When you return, a little discussion.
Swine flu sickens Argentine economy
By Veronica Smink
BBC Mundo, Buenos Aireslast updated at 12:11 GMT, Friday, 10 July 2009 13:11 UK
Theatre ticket sales have dropped by 80% as people opt to stay home
Normally the winter period in July is the most profitable time of year for children's theatre companies and cinema owners in Argentina. But swine flu has changed everything this year.
Although school holidays were extended by a month because of swine flu, most parents have followed the advice of the authorities and kept their children at home, well away from crowded places.
The government has not ordered the closure of big public places, but people have nevertheless rushed to cancel tickets for sporting and cultural events.
They are worried about the H1N1 virus, which has led to some 65 deaths in South America's second-largest country.
For the first time since 1918, the famous Corrientes Avenue in Buenos Aires - Argentina's equivalent of Broadway - was set to be dark for 10 days, following the suspension of shows.
Much like we saw in Mexico in May, Argentina is attempting to slow down the transmission of the virus by curtailing various commercial enterprises . . .such as theatres and sporting events.
Unlike Mexico – which instituted more stringent measures near the end of their flu season - Argentina is on the upward slope of the pandemic curve.
Despite repeated assurances from the government that the pandemic will likely peak in the next couple of weeks, not everyone is quite as sanguine over the prospects.
The concern of course is that we are watching a harbinger of things to come in the northern hemisphere this fall and winter. As bad as things may be south of the equator, 90% of the world’s population lives in the northern hemisphere . . . and so the global impact this winter stands to be much greater.
To a global economy already staggered by repeated economic shocks over the past year, a pandemic is an ill timed and unwelcome complication.
Absenteeism is already running 10% or more in parts of Australia, and now we hear that it is about 20% in Argentina. Both numbers are expected to rise over the coming weeks. And now the closings of businesses due to public health concerns is putting even more out of work.
All of this from a relatively `mild’ virus. Should the virus pick up virulence, the economic impact will no doubt increase as well.
All of this points up the need for every business around the globe to be working intently on a sensible, workable, and scalable pandemic plan. Something that can be adjusted to deal with an increase, or decrease, in the virulence of this virus.
If you are a business owner, you might want to read Quick, Who’s Your CPO? on this site, or to visit the HHS’s workplace preparedness pages.
As an individual, you need to be thinking of strategies of how you will deal if your place of work is forced to shut down temporarily due to a pandemic.
There are bound to be many impacts, both great and small, from this pandemic. Some we can’t predict in advance. We need to be prepared to be surprised, and be willing and able to adapt.
But this one, a likely economic impact, is one that we can see coming.
If we’re smart, we’ll spend the next couple of months figuring out ways to lessen that impact.
