Pandemic flu planning

With daily coverage in the global media of an imminent catastrophe facing the world's population from a sweeping flu pandemic...and, or bird flu... the publication in late October of an informative and practical document by the UK Department of Health 'Explaining pandemic flu' is a timely contrast offering us fact rather than the fiction.

But despite UK Government predictions that absenteeism will double in the private sector and increase by two thirds in the public sector, with obvious implications for business, there is still a shortage of tangible advice for the business community at large.

Multinational organisations who are reliant on maintaining an overseas workforce, have high dependence on international travel, or like many in the oil and gas industry, operate a remote but closed community, may face considerable challenges in sustaining their operations and need to address the more complex covering issues of remote medical support and repatriation routines.