Preventing Seasonal Influenza In The Workplace

WRITTEN BY GARY SMITH, APARTMENT BUILDING MANAGEMENT WORKERS COMPENSATION SELF INSURED FUND

 

Gary Smith for AAM BlogInfluenza is a contagious viral infection that attacks our respiratory system – the nose, throat and lungs. Commonly called the flu, it is not the same as the stomach “flu” viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting. Flu and its complications can be deadly.

Each flu season, nearly 111 million (increased from 100 million last year) workdays are lost due to the flu. That equals approximately $7 billion per year in sick days and lost productivity. Through education and planning, we can help protect ourselves and our employees from the seasonal flu. Preventing the flu is one of those “win-win” scenarios!

Follow these tips to prevent flu during the upcoming 2014-2015 season, which typically starts in October and peaks in January and February:

Take time to get a flu vaccine, and encourage others to do so.

The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. While there are many different flu viruses, the seasonal flu vaccine is designed to protect against the top three or four flu viruses that research indicates will cause the most illness during the flu season. Getting the flu vaccine before the start of seasonal flu activity each year is always a good idea, and the protection we get from vaccination will last throughout the flu season.

Encourage employees by hosting a flu vaccination clinic in the workplace. To minimize absenteeism, employers frequently offer onsite seasonal flu vaccination to employees at no or low cost to their employees. Pharmacies and community vaccinators can be contracted to provide seasonal flu vaccination services on-site. Save time by using the CDC’s Toolkit for Businesses and Employers (see References section below).

Take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs.

 

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

If sick with flu-like illness, then stay home for at least 24 hours after fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (The fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)

Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue in the trash after use.

Wash hands often with soap and water. Use an alcohol-based hand rub if soap and water are not available.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.

Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.

 

Take antiviral drugs if doctor prescribes them.

 

If we get the flu, antiviral drugs can treat the illness.

Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics. They are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled powder) and are not available over-the-counter.

Antiviral drugs can make illness milder and shorten the time of sickness. They may also prevent serious flu complications.

Studies show that flu antiviral drugs work best for treatment when they are started within 2 days of getting sick, but starting them later can still be helpful, especially if the sick person has a high-risk health or is very sick from the flu. Follow doctor’s instructions for taking this drug.

 

Success with preventing the flu is not complicated, but it does require us to take action. Follow these basic tips now for a common sense approach that has been proven to work. Help prevent flu in our workplace!

Should you require assistance with implementing a flu prevention program, please contact Gary Smith, CRM, at (517) 338-3367 or Gary.Smith@cmi-yorkrsg.com.

References:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17544181 Molinari NA, Ortega-Sanchez IR, Messonnier ML, Thompson WW, Wortley PM, Weintraub E, Bridges CB. The annual impact of seasonal influenza in the US: measuring disease burden and costs. Vaccine 2007;25(27):5086–5096

Seasonal Influenza Toolkit for Businesses & Employers: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/business/#Toolkit

Visit www.flu.gov for additional resources on preventing influenza.

 

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