Can the web help fight the Swine flu?
Watching the Mexican swine flu outbreak turn into an epidemic (and hopefully not a full-out pandemic) the thought has crossed my mind whether advanced communications technology can help mitigate the impact of this disease.
In the three previous major flu pandemics (1918 Spanish Flu, which called 20-50 million; the 1958 Asian flu, one to four million; and the 1968 Hong Kong Flu, one million) we didn't have the communications tools we have now, particularly broadband Internet.
I hope that companies and government have taken the web into consideration in pandemic planning. The easiest way to limit the spread of the disease is to cut down on people gathering in groups until the disease abates. This can be done by restricting public events / gatherings but it can also be done by limiting people gathering at work. At a minimum, the web can help sick employees stay home.
Companies should be encourarged to tell their employees to stay home if they feel sick - without the loss of compensation if they can work from home.
Utlimately, while the 'net can help mitigate the economic costs of a pandemic, it's up to government, companies and individuals to take the initative to use it to its full potential to help save lives and continue day-to-day business.
