Looking at the news it seems that H1N1 (aka Swine Flu) may be the pandemic that Avian flu was expected to be. With organizations being hit BIG with fears of this virus hitting 25%-30% of Canadians this flu season regardless of our preparedness of a possible outbreak after experiencing SARS there is going to be a lot of public fear over this illness. Something like this could potentially and dramatically affect the operations of your business. It could cause a lot of confusion and disruption internally and also affect your reputation publicly as an employer and product provider. So addressing this issue I thought I would put down some of my thoughts on preventative actions in regards to communications and planning ( add your own, or call BS if you want… I dare you 
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Before an outbreak: Looking prepared is going to be a big deal. As schools are getting back in session there has been a big push for them to be prepared and get the message out. Companies should be doing the same. Making employee’s aware of symptoms to watch for ( for them and their family members), encouraging hand sanitizing and having an open and clear plan about what will be done during a company outbreak and how employees will be involved. In regards to your customers if you deal with any sort of food product or public facing service you want to clearly communicate your dedication to safety and what steps are being taken if a localized outbreak were ever to occur.
During an Outbreak: A key focus is going to be ensuring that everyone keeps as calm as possible. A single person should be in charge of all communications and queries regarding an outbreak, that way there is no confusion and all information comes from one location ensuring one cohesive message. There should be no reactive actions, instead they should be clear and deliberate. More importantly of all it should be a clear and open process, all numbers and actions should be reported. Even if a question needs to be answered over and over again ( could require making a FAQ)