How Business Should Cope

Adding up all the numbers, the U.S., Canada, U.K., and even Mexico, India, and China are better positioned than many other nations to cope with H1N1 in their domestic populations. But to the extent that these and other countries are integral to global business, companies must act to assess and reduce their vulnerability to widescale human influenza.

In 2006, the World Bank predicted that a global pandemic could kill 140 million people and cause losses of $4.4 trillion to the world's GDP. While H1N1 may not lead to such dire outcomes, industries such as travel and tourism, food and beverage, entertainment, retail, and manufacturing need to be prepared for possible permanent loss of staff and rampant absenteeism.

The smartest policies will attack each risk factor where it is greatest. That means public education in countries where the risk of outbreak is highest; policies directed at airports and transportation in places where the spread of risk is high; and quick medical assistance for countries with the most limited capacity to contain an epidemic.