H1N1 at the NRA Show

Though much of the hysteria surrounding Swine Flu, or H1N1 Virus, has died down, it is still a pressing concern at the 90th annual National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show that kicked off Saturday in Chicago.

The deadly influenza strain, which has infected about 4,700 people in the United States, killing 4, led the NRA to ask Ecolab Inc., a sanitization and food safety company, to set up more than 140 automatic hand-sanitization stations around McCormick Place convention center.

"There's not the same level of focus as there was two weeks ago, but there still a level of concern and intrigue," said Bob Sherwood, vice-president and general manager for EcoSure, an Ecolab business. "I think there's a lot of people thinking it's going to come back in the fall."

Sherwood took part in a seminar Saturday called "Learning from the H1N1 Flu outbreak," along with Yum! Brands Inc. director of quality assurance Scott Brooks. Yum, whose brands include KFC and Pizza Hut, has updated its pandemic plan since the outbreak, putting a greater emphasis on hygiene and keeping sick workers at home, Brooks said.

Responding to the competition, Yum has ordered face masks for its employees should another outbreak occur.

"If our competition starts going into masks, we don't want to be the only one who doesn't have them," Brooks said.

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