As part of an ongoing relationship to sustain awareness of the threat posed by a global epidemic of avian influenza in humans, and to help organizations plan for business continuity during such an event, the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, or CIDRAP, has signed a contract with global assistance firm International SOS to provide organizations with access to the CIDRAP Business Source Web-based subscription information service. The CIDRAP Business Source will be supplied to International SOS clients as part of the firm's subscription-based Pandemic Information Service, or PIS. As the number of people and animals that have contracted avian influenza continues to rise, the threat of a global influenza pandemic remains very real, and organizations are still at risk for large-scale operations disruption. As evidenced by the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome, known as SARS, outbreak in Asia and Canada, that crippled the airline and tourism industries in those regions, a precipitous loss of revenue can result when planning for infectious disease emergencies is inadequate. Together, the complementary CIDRAP and PIS information services will provide the single most comprehensive resource for practical information available to business, nonprofit and government leaders, to help prepare their organizations for an influenza pandemic or other widespread health emergency. "International SOS is a leading provider of medical assistance, international healthcare, security services and outsourced customer care, and we're pleased to provide their Pandemic Information Service subscribers with the CIDRAP Business Source," said CIDRAP Business Source Editor-in-Chief Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH. "CIDRAP is the only nonprofit organization providing this type of current, comprehensive and authoritative information." "Access to CIDRAP's Business Source adds value to our existing online Pandemic Information Service," said Dr. Myles Druckman, Vice President of Medical Assistance, International SOS. "We'll be providing our PIS subscribers with the enhanced service within the next 30 days, and we expect to see increased demand for this information over the coming months." About the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (