That HCWs may be concerned about attending work during a potentially serious infl uenza pandemic is not surprising. During the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak of 2003, some HCWs reportedly stayed at home for fear of becoming infected and transmitting infection to family members. A number of surveys have found that 16%-33% of HCWs may not report to work in the event of an infl uenza pandemic (6) (7) (8) (9) .