By inthenews.co.uk staff.
Initial hysteria over swine flu has led most UK businesses to be unprepared for a second wave of the virus, it was warned today.
Despite official data showing that the threat of the virus was receding, business leaders are being urged to develop contingency plans for this autumn.
According to new research out today, businesses should be prepared for staff absence rates of up to 50 per cent for two to four weeks this autumn and winter.
But the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), which conducted the research, said 57 per cent of UK businesses have no or weak plans.
Ben Willmott, CIPD senior public policy adviser, said there was a 'real danger' of managers avoiding the threat of swine flu.
'The media and public hysteria sparked by the initial stage of the pandemic has created a 'cry wolf' effect where the temptation for business leaders is to ask what all the fuss was about and get on with the priority of competing and surviving in recession,' he said.
Government health officials had initially warned of the danger of a second wave of the H1N1 virus in autumn when the schools went back.
But last night the Health Protection Agency revised its worst-case scenario for the winter flu season, with a maximum of 19,000 deaths forecast from swine flu under the assumption that one in three people are infected.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England and Wales, reported a further reduction in the rates of flu-like illness and related activity in the last week.
Most cases continue to be mild and there is no sign the virus is mutating, he added.
Initial hysteria over swine flu has led most UK businesses to be unprepared for a second wave of the virus, it was warned today.
Despite official data showing that the threat of the virus was receding, business leaders are being urged to develop contingency plans for this autumn.
According to new research out today, businesses should be prepared for staff absence rates of up to 50 per cent for two to four weeks this autumn and winter.
But the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), which conducted the research, said 57 per cent of UK businesses have no or weak plans.
Ben Willmott, CIPD senior public policy adviser, said there was a 'real danger' of managers avoiding the threat of swine flu.
'The media and public hysteria sparked by the initial stage of the pandemic has created a 'cry wolf' effect where the temptation for business leaders is to ask what all the fuss was about and get on with the priority of competing and surviving in recession,' he said.
Government health officials had initially warned of the danger of a second wave of the H1N1 virus in autumn when the schools went back.
But last night the Health Protection Agency revised its worst-case scenario for the winter flu season, with a maximum of 19,000 deaths forecast from swine flu under the assumption that one in three people are infected.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England and Wales, reported a further reduction in the rates of flu-like illness and related activity in the last week.
Most cases continue to be mild and there is no sign the virus is mutating, he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment