Healthy talk.From now through March, more than 40 million Americans will come down with the flu, a disease that can put otherwise healthy adults in bed for five days. Since the flu is highly contagious contagious /con·ta·gious/ (-jus) capable of being transmitted from one individual to another, as a contagious disease; communicable. con·ta·gious adj. 1. Of or relating to contagion. before and after the onset of symptoms, it's important to be aware of the threat it poses for business. Studies have shown that by getting annual flu shots, employees can average a 30-percent decrease in sick days. How does the flu spread? It's an airborne virus that spreads from one person to the next by coughing Coughing Coughing helps break up secretions in the lungs so that the mucus can be suctioned out or expectorated. Patients sit upright and inhale deeply through the nose. They then exhale in short puffs or coughs. Coughing is repeated several times per day. and sneezing To verbally tell somebody about a new and interesting Web site. See viral marketing. . It usually enters the body through the mouth, nose or eyes. What are the symptoms? People often confuse con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. the common cold with the flu. Actually they're very different. The flu involves fever and chills, muscle and joint pain, cough, headache, eye pain and tiredness and weakness that can persist for up to three weeks. Common symptoms for the cold--stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat--aren't always seen with the flu. As an employer, what can I do to protect my employees? Since the flu is a virus, antibiotics Antibiotics Definition Antibiotics may be informally defined as the subgroup of anti-infectives that are derived from bacterial sources and are used to treat bacterial infections. do nothing to ease symptoms. If an employee catches it, he/she is down for the count. Flu vaccinations are your best bet for prevention, and occupational health providers can often provide businesses on-site flu shots. You should also encourage employees who are sick to stay at home instead of coming into work. Andrew J. Vosburgh, M.D., is medical director for the St. John Health  St. John Health St. John Health System Occupational Health Partners. For more information about flu shots, call (248) 424-3195. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion