Businesses in Swindon are bracing themselves for the onslaught of swine flu after the death of a patient at the Great Western Hospital, one of the 29 people who have died in the UK.

The worst case scenario is that as many as 65,000 people could die from the virus this year and half of them would be children below the age of 14.

Honda, one of the largest employers in the town with a workforce of 3,700, has had a number of workers off with the flu and they have plans in place to alter production plans should it become necessary.

“We are of course monitoring the situation closely,” said Sam Tipper, from the corporate communications department at South Marston.

“However the factory will be closing down for three weeks next Friday – the normal two week summer break and the extra five days which was added on after the shutdown – so we won’t know exactly what the situation is when we return to work on August 17.”

Last week a total of 55,000 people across the UK reported flu-like symptoms and 650 are in hospital receiving treatment.

Paul Briggs, the chief executive of the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group which includes Swindon, said he had been at a national meeting for all chambers when swine flu had been the main item on the agenda. He said: “We appreciate that businesses will be hit hard if the virus takes hold and according to projections as much as 12 per cent of workforces will be affected. All businesses should follow the advice which has been put out by the National Pandemic Flu Service.

“All businesses should have a back-up plan – like for bad weather, improve their hygiene and realise that no-one will be immune. We want to get through this with as little pain as possible. The swine flu and the credit crunch are not a mix we like.”

The Forum of Private Business said videolinks and teleconferencing could be used to ensure that business goes ahead as normal while also ensuring employees are exposed to fewer potentially infected people. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter could likewise play an important part in allowing employees to communicate and share information.

At the Swindon Marriott Hotel the more than 100 staff have been trained to face with any problems.

“Fortunately we have not had any members of staff off with the virus,” said the general manager, Joanne Taylor-Stagg.

“The hotel group has had a contingency plan ready to use should it become necessary and we have stressed the importance of hygiene to our staff.

“So far we’ve had no problems with our staff nor our guests.”

Swindon Borough Council, the town’s largest employers with more than 5,000 people, has issued standard guidance to all staff.

A spokesman said: “The council is working closely with the PCT and other health agencies. Contingency plans have been drawn up to make sure that if large numbers of staff are affected by the virus, critical services will continue to operate, which could involve re-deploying staff from other parts of the council to provide cover if necessary.”