Business Planning for a Flu Pandemic

A couple of years ago I developed a set of materials regarding business contingency planning for a flu pandemic.  The concern back then was Avian Flu (called H5N1 by the in crowd).  Today's swine flu (A/H1N1) is a different bug with similar implications.  Here are a few highlights:

• The riskiest bugs hit young healthy people worst, rather than children and the elderly.  This has huge workforce implications.
• The macroeconomic effects would be like a severe recession, along the lines of 1980-82.  The flu's impacts in the midst of a recession would be lessened, but still additive to the pre-existing recession.
• Businesses should not over-react, but there are a set of reasonably easy steps that can be taken now that will be tremendously useful if the epidemic worsens significantly.

Call me if you'd like a presentation on this subject.