- This is a special public service of The Japan HR Society dedicated to its members and the general public. -

Background/Rationale

According to the National Epidemiological Surveillance for Infectious Diseases (an agency of Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare), the number of reported cases of the Influenza like Illness (ILI) for the period July to November 2009 was estimated to have reached at least 12.64 million people and have claimed the lives of nearly 100 people in Japan aging from 2 years old to victims in their twilight years.

The bad news is that the statistics are expected to rise further as the nation embraces herself to her traditional "flu season" period from December to February. Although the government has already begun mass vaccinations according to pre-determined priorities of groups of people, inoculating the entire country will take some time and resources. Worst, even if someone is already vaccinated, it is still not 100% effective in preventing someone from falling victim to the H1N1 virus and its effects.

Faced with this challenge, HR professionals, as custodians of every organization's most important asset---its people---have the professional, moral, and ethical responsibilities to be part of the solution to this national and worldwide pandemic. HR professionals are in a unique and responsible position to help their organizations and its people survive this pandemic by taking pro-active measures to help combat, prevent, or minimize the effects of the pandemic to the business and the lives of its employees.

The JHRS Response to the Flu Pandemic

In the light of the above, The Japan HR Society (JHRS)--the country's fastest growing community of Japan-focused HR professionals--is dedicating this special section of our website to bring together various sources of information and resources related to the pandemic that are aimed to inform and empower HR and business professionals alike to make appropriate decisions, plans, and actions to help combat the spread of the virus or to be more prepared in the event that their organizations and its employees become affected by the pandemic.

It is said that "knowing is already half the battle." We hope that these information and resources will prove to be indispensable and useful to you and your organization.

A Call to Get Involved and to Act!

The information and resources found in this section came from various sources, geographies, companies, and government agencies culled out by JHRS' Research Team but they are not by any means complete. Hence, if you have some ideas or resources relevant to the on-going pandemic that you think might be useful and helpful, please share them with the public by emailing us and we will be glad to consider your suggestion. Who knows the information you share might save your own life as well.

If you or your organization are also interested in sponsoring a forum, event, or activity to help in the fight against this pandemic, please contact us and we would love to hear from you.


DISCLAIMER: While we try to relay the information about the swine flu pandemic to the best of our capabilities, we are not responsible for the accuracy of the information. The information here is purely informational and doesn't constitute medical advice. We are not responsible for any of the content on sites that you might visit by clicking on our outgoing links or images.