Curing viruses is something we know a bit about - so long as they are computer viruses. 

Human viruses on the other hand, are a topic that we're learning a lot about, like everyone else in business.  We have been seeking advice about this, and we've been told that its pretty much inevitable that we're all going to get it. 

Aching bones, fevers, tiredness.  Oh, what a joy to look forward to.

We've been told  :

• Once you get it, it's no better or worse than normal flu
• The levels in the community mean that the current focus on 'isolation' is coming to a close, and it’s going to spread through our communities
• Its going to be around for another 24 months

So we asked, "if it's no worse than normal flu, what's the big deal" and the answer is, because it's a new strain, there is no real immunity amongst the general population.  No vaccines quite yet, so we're all vulnerable to getting it.  With normal flu, while it seems to be a big deal over winter, the reality is that only a small number of us actually succumb.  With swine flu, we have no built-up resistance, so a great percentage of the population is likely to be sick at once.  So our fear is that we'll all take 2-4 days off work, losing productivity and having a massive effect on our business's ability to maintain service levels.

So what are Kinetics doing to maintain service levels in the event that our people get sick?

Firstly we’ve told our staff not to get sick in the first place.  Seriously, our plans are focussed on prevention.  We’re issuing our staff with face masks. (Although it’s a probably a bit early to be wearing those) and hand sanitiser kits.  Bugs seem to congregate where hand traffic is highest – door handles, power and light switches, taps, keys, and of course keyboards, mice and phone handsets.  So we’re giving our staff instant hand sanitiser and instructions to use it frequently.

If we accept that our staff go out to see various businesses every day, then they are a risk.  So if any one does feel unwell, we’re instructing them to call in sick.  And not to spread their bugs to others.   Our service levels will only be impacted if we have too many people away sick at once.  And we’re carrying a small amount of extra staffing resource to increase our capacity in advance of excessive sick leave.

Finally, we are learning about it and varying our response as we learn more.  We’ll welcome suggestions from others, and we’ve been talking to our friends at EMA to stay up to date on the issue.

Differences Between Cold and Flu

Symptoms Cold Flu Fever Rare Usually Present Aches Slight Usual, often severe Chills Uncommon Fairly common Tiredness Mild Moderate to severe Sudden Symptoms Symptoms appear gradually Symptoms can appear within 3-6 hours Coughing Hacking, productive cough Dry, unproductive cough Sneezing Common Uncommon Stuffy nose Common Uncommon Sore throat Common Uncommon Chest Discomfort Mild to moderate Often severe Headache Uncommon Common

Source : http://www.flufacts.com/about/cold.aspx