H1N1: What Now?

No matter where you are and what industry you work in, you probably have been affected in some way by the H1N1 virus and all the personal and business disruptions that have occurred. We’re beginning to see reports that we’ve seen the worst of the virus and that we’re on the upswing out of its grasp. Other experts are reporting that we are nowhere near to being at the end of this and that a third wave will hit this winter. With such uncertainty, many risk managers are erring on the side of caution.

Economic Impacts

There has also been some debate surrounding the effect swine flu will have on the economy. There are some indications that the virus has had little effect on the US economy. Government simulations have shown its impact as ‘reasonable and manageable’. However, it is anticipated that there could be between a 1 and 4.25-percent decrease in the country’s GDP.

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Following the H1N1 Influenza Outbreak

The spread of the H1N1 virus and its accompanying media coverage has been quite a phenomenal thing to follow over the past few weeks. The momentum that the infection built in a very short period of time is overshadowed only by how quick and how global the human response has been. The number of fatalities linked to H1N1 cases appear to be slowing and medical response to cases are improving.  Past influenza outbreaks similar to this one tend to peter out in North America in the Spring and Summer while they often increase in scope and severity in the Southern Hemisphere (their winter).  The fear is that they will make resurgence in North America in the Fall as a stronger and perhaps more resilient virus.  Now is the time to prepare, not just for this virus, but use this as a wakeup call to make your organization prepared to deal with a Pandemic.

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