By Evan Falchuk

I am listening in on a call of major US employers (there are >100 on the call) with the Centers for Disease Control and the National Business Group on Health about swine flu.  Most are doing not much more than sending around information about the illness to employees, including linking to CDC information on corporate intranets. Some employers have told employees who have returned from vacations in Mexico to stay home for 72 hours before returning to the office.  Manufacturers reported that they had policies in place based on the WHO “phases” in terms of possibilities of closing down plants or other facilities. Employers were concerned about the subject but were taking a wait-and-see attitude with respect to anything more significant.

The CDC repeated the guidance that has been on the news — hand-washing, social distance, and covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing.  The CDC says that their position was that masks are not recommended as a way of protecting themselves.  During the call, the HHS released an advisory for federal employees that sick travelers should wear masks to protect other travelers.

UPDATE: CDC says people should keep checking the CDC website as they expect the guidance there will keep changing.  For example, the CDC site has information on it now that is suggestive of a 7-day quarantine for some travelers, which the CDC representative says may need to be checked on.

[more updates below]

UPDATE: CDC has no guidance on school closings, but “strongly suggesting” to communities and businesses that this is a perfect time to review plans they may have in case that does happen.

UPDATE: Several big companies note they are working through their business continuity plans and are following the WHO’s phase determinations as part of that effort.  Employers considering possible data privacy implications of trying to track employee health status in the context of swine flu.

UPDATE: CDC says 40 cases in the US, and they have all been mild.  Only one hospitalization and that person was immuno-suppresed.

UPDATE: Question for CDC: why so many deaths in younger patients?  Why are the US cases milder?  A:  Re the US cases, we don’t know why the Mexico cases are more severe than the US ones, but CDC is investigating.  CDC expecting an uptick of US cases as well as uptick in severity.  We are still trying to get more information about the Mexico cases and have people on the ground there, once we have the information and it’s conclusive we will share it.  There are a lot of different theories as to why the Mexican cases have been worse, but we just don’t know enough right now.

UPDATE: Employers who have anti-viral drug programs are not yet activating them.  Some employers give Tamiflu prophylactically to Asian travelers for a couple of years, and are now doing that for travelers to Mexico (with prescription as it can get confiscated at the border).

UPDATE: National Business Group on Health has an excellent resource on its website to compile the various government guidance materials.