swine flu

Results of a survey from the Pandemic Prevention Council finds continuity plans include H1N1 considerations in most organizations.

With the first flu pandemic in 41 years officially declared today by The World Health Organization (WHO), companies are again being urged to make sure that business continuity plans are in place and they're prepared for the outbreak.

Thumbs down: Cable news networks. The big players -- CNN, Fox News and MSNBC -- reported the swine flu like the opening scene from Stephen King's "The Stand" or the movie "28 Days Later." Thumbs up: The Obama Administration. The White House was quick to react, and did so with the calmness the situation called for.

With the crisis atmosphere gone, companies that were focused on their pandemic contingency plans last week may likely be moving on to the usual day-to-day concerns, putting the pandemic plans back on the shelf. But history is full of examples of why it's never wise to write these things off entirely.

As news of the swine flu continues to dominate headlines, businesses are evaluating the potential impact on operations should the virus become a massive interruption. Control Risks, an international business risk consultancy based in Washington, DC, has issued a list of ten questions companies can use to determine just how prepared they are for a pandemic emergency

And IBM prepares its Watson supercomputer for a round of 'Jeopardy!'

As the prospect of a flu pandemic grew more likely Wednesday -- the World Health Organization raised its threat alert to level 5 -- data is pouring into federal health care agencies using systems that a decade ago did not even exist.

The possibility of a widespread swine flu outbreak is prompting companies to think about business continuity and how options such as telework may become a necessity.

Two years ago, financial services firms tested a pandemic scenario that began with a few flu cases and ended in a workplace absenteeism rate as high as 50%.

Spammers have seized on the growing interest in news of a possible swine flu epidemic to hawk fake pharmaceuticals, security experts warned Monday.