What employers should monitor as the Ebola outbreak continues

A rare strain of Ebola has sickened more than 350 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda. At least 60 people have died from this strain of the virus, for which there is currently no vaccine, according to tracking by the CDC.

Although the scale of the outbreak is smaller than the World Health Organization (WHO) initially estimated, the public health crisis has nevertheless prompted border closures, immigration restrictions, and enhanced screenings at airports. India and the Africa Union postponed a summit that was set to take place in New Delhi as a result of the outbreak, while Spain canceled a soccer match scheduled for June 9 between DRC and Chile.

While such events may feel far away for US-based employers, they have implications for those with globalized workforces. This is particularly true for industries such as mining, a sector that’s of considerable interest to US investors.

Now is as good a time as ever to evaluate health protocols, Lorna Friedman, a global health lead for consulting firm Mercer’s multinational clients, said.

State of the outbreak. The number of suspected Ebola cases has declined precipitously, the WHO said on June 2, from more than 1,000 to 116. That’s because patients who’d been suspected to have Ebola were ruled to have other diseases or simply a fever, Christian Lindmeier, a WHO spokesperson, said.

The risk of this outbreak is currently classified as very high in the DRC, high at a regional level, and low at a global level, according to the WHO. Even so, the outbreak has prompted several countries to restrict entry of foreign nationals coming from the affected regions.

Non-US citizens on certain visas, including green card holders, may not currently enter the US if they’ve recently traveled to the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan. American citizens who’ve been in these countries must undergo enhanced screening at one of three airports when they return to the US.

Given such policies, “the most immediate operational challenge” multinational employers may face is having workers stranded abroad, Mercer wrote in a recent note.

What employers should review. While there aren’t any reported Ebola cases in the US currently, it’s a good moment for HR leaders to bring together their pandemic and risk committees to review protocols, Friedman said.

“I always kind of say, after Covid, don’t break up the band. Keep that group going,” she said. Employers should keep a close watch of where their people are, and stay abreast of public health policies, she said. Currently, the CDC recommends a 21-day quarantine for travelers returning from affected regions. Staying in close contact with vendors who handle travel and medical evacuations may prove important as well, she said.

Friedman also recommended reviewing medical benefits to identify any coverage gaps that could arise for employees outside of the US, and having proactive “discussions about that in regards to your insurers and what you anticipate.”

Contemplating the current Ebola outbreak could prompt employers to engage in “tabletop crisis evaluations” to better understand “dependencies and vulnerabilities” in their workforces, Friedman said. In doing so, they can ensure they have guidance and policies in place so that “my people on the ground, my managers know how to respond,” she added.

Preparing for an infectious disease threat like Ebola requires an “ongoing investment” into areas like emergency response plans, training exercises, and supply chain resilience, Nayab Sultan, a principal advisor with Global HSE Consulting Limited, wrote on LinkedIn. “Ebola reminds us that the most effective response begins long before the first case is identified,” he said.