How You Can Prevent the Flu at Your Office
Fever, coughing, aches and pains: coming down with the flu is no fun. But what if your entire office came down with influenza at the same time? Learn how to prevent a costly flu outbreak that could cripple productivity in your workplace.
Annual flu shot event happens company-wide. One of Formaspace Design Consultants, Debora Zack, is getting a flu shot.
Why is This Year’s Flu Season so Severe?
The seasonal flu season of 2017–2018 appears to be on track to be one of the worst outbreaks in recent decades. On Jan 12, 2018, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 5.8% of all out-patient visits were for influenza-like illnesses, that flu hospitalizations had climbed to 22.7 per 100,000, and that all 48 states in the continental US were now reporting flu outbreaks at the same time (a new record).
The primary pathogen hitting us this year is H3N2, a form of influenza type A virus. The H3 viruses are notable for causing more severe flu outbreaks — resulting in more hospitalizations and more deaths.
U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, image by CDC
But that’s not the only risk. At present, there are two additional viral outbreaks in the U.S. to watch out for according to the CDC’s weekly update. The first is Type B H1N1 influenza, which is capable of causing a serious case of flu whether one has been exposed to H3N2 or not. In addition, there are also lesser outbreaks of Influenza Type B/Yamagata in the U.S. Illnesses caused by this virus are typically less severe than those caused by Type A H3N2 or Type A H1N1, but it’s more contagious, so wash your hands!
Given that there are still 11–12 more weeks to go in the season, this year’s outbreak could turn out to be as bad as the “severe” flu years of 2014–2015 and 2003–2004. The CDC reports that people older than 65 and those younger than 5 were being hospitalized at high rates, followed by those aged 50–64. Tragically, there are many reports of deaths, even among seemingly healthy young adults.
The Negative Effect of Flu on Businesses and the Overall Economy
What’s the economic effect of seasonal flu on the U.S. Economy? In a 2007 research paper (The Annual Impact of Seasonal Influenza in the US: Measuring Disease Burden and Costs), investigators from the CDC found that (in an average seasonal influenza year) the total economic cost was $87.1 billion dollars.
Annual losses from influenza caused:
- $16.3 billion in lost earnings due to illness and premature deaths
- $10.4 billion in direct medical costs
- 1 million hospital days
- 4 million outpatient visits
- 610,660 life-years lost
The research firm Challenger Gray asserts that this year’s increased flu activity could result in employers facing record productivity losses this year. Based on last year’s flu statistics, Challenger Gray calculated the estimated number of workers (60% of the adult population) who will come down with the flu this year to be 11 million people. For this calculation, it was also assumed that each ill employee would be out of work four full 8-hour workdays (on average) — for a total of 352 million lost work hours. Multiplying that figure by the average US hourly wage ($26.63), Challenger Gray estimates that the total lost wages for the 2017–2018 flu season will total over $9 billion dollars ($9,415,586,823.84 to be exact).
Personal Health Checklist: Five Ways You Can Protect Yourself from Contracting the Flu
Understanding flu infection — image by CDC
Here are the five key steps you can take to help prevent coming down with flu:
1. Get a Flu Shot Today
A flu shot not only helps protect you against this season’s flu viruses, it helps protect those around you (a concept known as “herd immunity”) who are at increased risk of contracting influenza, including seniors over 65 and children under 5.
Check with your employer or health plan to see if you can have a flu shot at no cost; many employers and carriers will reimburse you. Oftentimes, you can go to a national chain for your flu shot, including:
If you or someone you know doesn’t have health care coverage (or you don’t have time to go to your health care provider), the national chains listed above also offer low-cost flu shots.
Remember, the flu shot takes about 2 weeks to become effective, so the sooner you get one, the more protection you will have.
2. Avoid Exposure to Flu Germs
Wash your hands thoroughly several times a day for a full minute using hot water and soap, or by using gel-based hand sanitizers. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth, which can transfer germs. Consider avoiding shaking hands with others for the duration of the flu season to avoid passing germs.
If you or someone you work with starts coughing and sneezing, it’s a sign they should go home immediately and monitor their temperature. If they come down with signs of the flu (see a list of symptoms below), it’s likely they have been contagious for a full 24 hours prior to the onset of a cough. Avoid close contact with those who are ill or have been exposed to the virus to prevent the flu from spreading.
Those who become sick with flu need to stay home for the duration, typically a week or so, plus an additional 24 hours after the fever clears to avoid spreading the disease. If you have flu (or are taking care of family members who are ill), please don’t return to work — a phenomenon known as presenteeism — as it will only make the flu situation in the workplace worse. If you need to visit the doctor or pharmacy, get and wear a mask to protect those around you.
3. Beware of Germ Hot Spots
Germs can spread through the home or office quickly. In a study presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), researchers used a non-lethal proxy virus (bacteriophage MS-2) to measure how fast virus samples placed on doorknobs and table surfaces can spread in an office. The answer? Within two to four hours, the virus samples had spread to between 40–60 % of commonly touched items in the office, including light switches, telephones, tables, and sink taps.
Pay special attention these germ “hot spots” for transferring organisms.
- Keyboards & mice
- Mobile phones and telephones
- Light switches
- Table and desk surfaces
- Bottom surface of purses or small bags (avoid placing them on the floor or on a desk, which can transfer germs)
- Kitchen mess
- Elevator banks
- Common areas, such as break rooms
4. Kill Germs at Home and in the Office
Flu season means it’s time to change your cleaning habits to prevent the spread of flu.
Do not use kitchen sponges (and other reusable cloths) to clean surfaces. Sponges and cloths can actually spread pathogens from one area to another.
Instead, switch to…
