BIZ NEWS
Flu season rolls around again
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t’s autumn – days are shorter, nights are longer, the air is crisp, the leaves are turning from green to gold and flu season is about to begin…
Although we all know people who claim to have “the flu” at the slightest sign of a sniffle, real flu is much more serious than that and can lead to life-threatening complications like pneumonia. Caused by the influenza viruses, a group of viruses that infect the respiratory tract and bring on symptoms like fever, aches, fatigue and coughing, the flu is common, debilitating and highly preventable. It is time to plan your business or organisation’s flu vaccination program now.
flu vaccinations to workplaces, and a are win-win solution to flu season for businesses and employees. “A vaccination program that can be booked at a time that suits your business and staff provides the opportunity to reduce absenteeism due to flu and is a low cost employee health initiative, at an average of $24 per staff member, that businesses on tight budgets can afford,” Dr Baulch says. Because vaccination is a medical procedure, businesses considering offering workplace vaccination programs need to choose their provider carefully and know what to look for.
“Flu vaccinations should be performed by a medically qualified Flu season is an actual thing, occurring in the cold half of the team, usually immunisation nurses with doctors supporting year in each hemisphere for a variety of reasons, including colder them behind the scenes and providing medical advice prior to weather lowering our resistance to the viruses, the make-up of and after the vaccination,” Dr Baulch says. the viruses themselves (they’re better “Businesses should look for a provider who able to survive in cold weather and may is qualified, organised and offers a good Some studies show that vaccination stay alive longer on exposed surfaces value service. For employer-initiated health like doorknobs and keyboards in colder is 70 to 90 per cent effective in programs, no Medicare rebate is payable, temperatures) and that we spend more preventing the flu and reducing regardless of where the vaccination is time inside with other people when performed, so it is important not to allow absenteeism in the workplace. it’s cool. In most parts of Australia, flu providers or employees to claim all or part of outbreaks occur between late autumn the cost from Medicare.” and early spring, with the peak season for infection in June, July and August. A vaccine is available, Even if business owners are convinced of the need for flu which must be administered annually to combat changes in the vaccinations, employees can’t be coerced into having one flu viruses from year to year. through a workplace program. “Flu vaccination is always offered on a voluntary basis,” Dr Baulch says. “Employees need to be While many business owners see value in vaccinating themselves able to decide whether the vaccine is right for them. Usually against flu, or providing vaccinations for key staff members, 30 to 60 per cent of employees choose to have the vaccination recognition of the cost of flu season to businesses has seen when it is offered at no cost in the workplace setting, but some the rise in recent years of companies offering flu vaccination businesses do achieve nearly 100 percent uptake. However, even programs for the whole workplace, with some studies showing at 30 per cent uptake, we see a reduced rate of absenteeism and that vaccination is 70 to 90 per cent effective in preventing the flu it helps protect those who are unvaccinated because there is less and reducing absenteeism in the workplace. These programs, flu circulating in the office.” which involve an immunisation nurse visiting the workplace to administer vaccinations during business hours, are best carried out between March and May, ahead of winter, according to Dr Kirsten Baulch, director of Medimobile, a national provider of
For more tips and advice on preventing flu in your workplace, download FluApp for Apple or Android.
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