Some 30 soldiers were involved in the operation, which used 15 army trucks to distribute 900,000 face masks and 90,000 doses of antiviral medicine. The consignments were initially taken to secret distribution centres, from where they will be delivered to doctors and local care centres.

Meanwhile, 10 Belgian hospitals have drawn up pandemic plans to prepare staff for a major escalation in swine flu cases over the coming months. The hospitals will segregate those suffering from the virus to avoid spreading infection and appoint specialised doctors to treat patients. The Influenza Commission estimates that the number of infections will peak towards the end of August.

Companies across Belgium are already being urged by the Influenza Commission to prepare for a possible crisis which could, at worst, affect 70% of employees. The commission has published a Business Continuity Plan to help companies deal with the pandemic. Using estimates produced by the British government, the commission calculates that between 5 and 35% of employees will fall sick, while roughly the same number again will stay at home to care for sick relatives.

Some companies have already taken the step of offering their own advice to employees. One Belgian bank has encouraged staff to stop shaking hands, operate lift buttons using the knuckle instead of the finger tip and open doors using the elbow instead of the hand.

Belgian railways have ordered 100,000 face masks, while conductors are being issued with disinfectant gel. The operator has drawn up an emergency timetable that it will bring into force if an excessive number of staff phone in sick.

One of the country's leading pharmaceutical companies has brought in screening equipment that can measure the temperature of staff as they pass through the entrance door. But Belgian health-care experts are stressing that there is no reason to panic or to cancel plans to attend summer festivals. "You could just as easily contract swine flu at your local supermarket," said one medical expert.

www.influenza.be