Employee Wellness
Illnesses like the flu (influenza) and colds are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. The flu and colds usually spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
The Flu Shot
The CDC recommends that vaccination for the flu begin as soon as the vaccine is available. There is plenty and it will be administered until our supplies are no longer available.
Vaccination, good hand hygiene, and respiratory etiquette are the most effective ways to prevent the spread of influenza.
Each year there are over 200,000 hospitalizations from influenza, and an average of 36,000 Americans die due to influenza and its complications.
The CDC, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, and the Michigan Department of Community Health recommend that health care workers get vaccinated annually against influenza.
Health care workers who get vaccinated help to reduce the following:
- Transmission of influenza
- Staff illness and absenteeism
- Influenza-related illness and death, especially among people at increased risk for severe influenza illness
- Higher vaccination levels among staff have been associated with a lower risk of nosocomial influenza cases.
- Influenza outbreaks in healthcare facilities have been attributed to low influenza vaccination coverage among health care workers in those facilities.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/
Stop Germs at Work
How Germs Spread
Illnesses like the flu (influenza) and colds are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. The flu and colds usually spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
What can you do to stay healthy?
Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough.
Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.
Clean your hands often and follow the CDC's guidelines.
Hand Hygiene is the #1 way to prevent infection. Please refer to the CDC's guidelines on hand hygiene.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth. Germs can live for a long time (some can live for 2 hours or more) on surfaces like doorknobs, desks and tables.
Stay home when you are sick and consult a health care provider when needed.
When you are sick or have flu symptoms, stay home, get plenty of rest, and consult a health care provider as needed. Your employer may need a doctor's note for an excused absence. Keeping your distance from others may protect them from getting sick.
Common symptoms of the flu include:
- Fever (usually high)
- Headache
- Extreme tiredness
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle aches, and
- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (more common among children than adults)
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/flu, or call the CDC Flu Information Line at (800) CDC-INFO.
TB Testing
Information about TB diagnosis and testing is available at CDC.gov.