The ILO has established an internal task force addressing the critical issues raised by the recent H1N1 influenza outbreak in relation to the world of work. This Task Force, which consists of representatives of ILO constituents, aims primarily at sharing information and raising awareness on the work-related implications of the pandemic.

The ILO encourages governments, enterprises and workers to put in place appropriate measures to guarantee the safety and health of employees at the workplace.

On 11 June 2009 the Director General of WHO, Dr. Margaret Chan, announced that she was raising the level of influenza pandemic alert from Phase 5 to Phase 6. However, for the time being, WHO considers the overall severity of the influenza pandemic to be moderate. As of 6 July, there have been about 95.000 people infected by the H1N1 virus worldwide, with 429 deaths.

Documents and information about influenza and the work environment can be downloaded from the ILO Crisis Response and Reconstruction Programme.

Latest news on the H1N1 are available on the World Health Organization website.