Advice for citizens

For the latest information and updates about swine flu, health and travel advice, visit: www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu

Advice for businesses

• Businesses can find further information and guidance about swine flu at Business Link
• Businesses should think about and plan for possible swine flu outbreak as they do all health and safety issues generally
• Employers should make their own individual judgements
• Closures should be considered on a case by case basis – no set rules for dealing with something like this. Rules would create more problems than solutions
• Now is a good time to review your business contingency plan. If you don’t have one, follow the link below for information about developing one:

• Business Link: crisis management and business continuity planning

Advice for higher and further education institutions

Guidance for higher and further education institutions

Background

The World Health Organisation has increased the pandemic alert to level 6, which means that swine flu is now spreading in communities in several countries.

As expected, there is now a rise in the number of cases in the UK, and the Government has now made the decision to move from a containment phase to a treatment phase. Stocks of antivirals and antibiotics have been built and a vaccine is being developed.

Now is the time to review and update business contigency plans to make sure that you are prepared for the impact an increase in cases might have.

The Government has been preparing for a flu pandemic for the last five years working at a local, regional and national level, and all NHS organisations have pandemic flu plans in place.