‘Because of the high rate of influenza in the general population, vaccinating employees can result in workplace benefits such as increased productivity and reduced absenteeism’ – Australian Immunisation Handbook (2020).
Flu season is quickly approaching! We visit workplaces to provide flu shot clinics to your staff – contact [email protected] for more information.
Influenza (the flu) is a common disease of the respiratory tract, affecting people of all ages (Australian Immunisation Handbook, 2019).
The flu is deadly. In 2017 within Australia alone, there were 1,255 deaths due to influenza (ABS, 2017).
Flu symptoms include:
- Runny nose or sneezing;
- Cough or sore throat;
- Fever and chills;
- Headache;
- Body aches;
- Vomiting and diarrhoea;
‘Absenteeism from work due to the flu costs workplaces $7 billion each year in lost wages’ – thesector.com.au, 2018.
How does the flu spread?
According to health.gov.au (2019):
- When an affected person coughs or sneezes, and you breath it in;
- Through direct contact with fluid from an infected person’s cough or sneeze;
- By touching a contaminated surface with a flu virus on it, then touching your mouth, eyes or nose;
‘Presenteeism (attending work whilst unwell with the flu) costs workplaces $34 billion each year in loss of productivity’ – thesecotr.com.au, 2018.
Prevention:
Vaccination is the best protection against the flu.
According to Centres for Disease, Control and prevention (2019), a flu vaccine is needed every season for two reasons. First, a person’s immune protection from vaccination declines over time, so an annual vaccine is needed for optimal protection. Second, because flu viruses are constantly changing, flu vaccines may be updated from one season to the next to protect against the viruses that research suggests may be most common during the upcoming flu season.
The flu shot is made from an inactivated virus that cannot transmit infection, prompting your body to create tools (antibodies) to fight the virus when exposed to it. The vaccine itself does not cause the flu. However, it takes a week or two for protection from the vaccine to work (webmd.com, 2017 and health.hardvard.edu, 2018).
How can you protect your workplace from the flu?
- Educate employees of the symptoms of the flu;
- Encourage employees to stay at home when they are sick;
- Encourage employees to keep their distance from those who are sick;
- Educate employees to wash their hands frequently, and provide workstations with alcohol sanitisers;
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces;
- Educate employees to cover their mouth and nose when they sneeze;
- Educate employees to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth;
- Encourage employees to keep their body defences up by:
– Adequate sleep;
– Healthy eating;
– Drinking plenty of fluids;
– Keeping active; - Educate employees on the importance of the flu vaccine;
Please contact us should you require flu shots within your workplace – [email protected]