Is Business Ready for a Flu Pandemic?

That's the big question raised in an article in the New York Times today that looks at the impending bird flu pandemic from a different perspective.

Governments worldwide have spent billions planning for a potential influenza pandemic: buying medicines, running disaster drills, developing strategies for tighter border controls. But one piece of the plan may be missing: the ability of corporations to continue to provide vital services.

For the past few years, ever since SARS arrived in North America via Toronto, we've been looking at ways companies can prepare for the next flu pandemic.

If you have been following the blog, you know that we have been discussing this for over a year. However, since we did our December webcast specifically on this topic, the reality of the effect of pandemic on business is really starting to sink in.

The official US Government website for information on pandemic flu and avian influenza can be found at birdflu.gov, which is an indication that this is not just media hype, and should be taken seriously by corporations. Get informed. Be prepared.