To ensure that businesses are not crippled by swine flu, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary Janet Napolitano and Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator Karen Mills released some important news for small business owners on how to prepare their companies for a potential outbreak.

The DHS and SBA guide for small business H1N1 preparation is available at www.sba.gov/flu.

"For countless small businesses, having even one or two employees out for a few days has the potential to negatively impact operations and their bottom line," said Mills. "A thoughtful plan will help keep employees and their families healthy, as well as protect small businesses and local economies."

A recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that two-thirds of businesses believe they would have "severe operational problems" if half of their workforce were absent for two weeks because of H1N1, a number which rises to four-fifths in the case of a one-month absence.