Infection Control Today

April 13, 2011

As many respiratory viruses are responsible for influenza like symptoms, accurate measures of the disease burden are not available and estimates are generally based on statistical methods. Dena L Schanzer, of the Infectious Disease and Prevention and Control Branch of the Public Health Agency of Canada, and colleagues, sought to estimate absenteeism rates and hours lost due to seasonal influenza and compare these estimates with estimates of absenteeism attributable to the two H1N1 pandemic waves that occurred in 2009.

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EmpowHer

By MC Kelby January 25, 2011 – 5:21am

Grab the tissues and antibacterial wipes because according to the Center for Disease Control, flu season is now ramping up and widespread in 11 states.

Also, a new CareerBuilder survey finds that nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of workers typically go to work when they are sick. Other survey results said:

• About half said they go to the work while ill because they feel guilty calling in sick
• 53 percent said they have gotten sick from a co-worker who came to the office sick
• 12 percent said they picked up a bug from someone who was sick on public transportation going to or from work

With many workers heading to work ill, they are likely passing their germs on to others.

Even though we know better, we’ve all been “that guy” who passes germs on to others. In fact, a recent national poll revealed almost seven out of 10 Americans (68 percent) did not realize that flu viruses can travel five to six feet from a sneeze or a cough. Other poll results indicated:

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National Foundation for Infectious Diseases launches Are You That Guy? campaign to urge Americans to see a doctor and limit contact with others when flu symptoms strike

BETHESDA, MD, January 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Have you ever ventured out of the house, gone to a business meeting or traveled by air when you thought you might have the flu? If you answered yes, you are among a majority of Americans who fessed up in a recent survey to being “that guy” who goes about his or her day despite experiencing the sudden onset of fever, aches and chills – commonly recognized symptoms of the flu.

As the U.S. flu season peaks, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) has launched Are You That Guy?, a national influenza educational campaign that encourages personal and social responsibility by raising awareness of how easily the flu virus spreads.

According to a recent national poll, almost seven out of 10 Americans (68%) did not realize that flu viruses can travel five to six feet from a sneeze or a cough, and two-thirds (66%) admitted to going about their daily activities despite experiencing flu symptoms.

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Infection Control Today

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year 1 in 5 Americans will contract the flu in any given year. The flu can be a life threatening situation for some at risk populations, killing on average 23,000 people a year, however, most adults will recover after a few days of feeling miserable and go on with life.

We all know the pain that the flu can cause our bodies; symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, fever and congestion just to name a few, but what effect does the flu have on businesses and the overall economy each year. It turns out that the net effect of the flu on the U.S. economy totals a staggering $87 billion dollars in lost productivity and direct costs associated with medical treatment. In fact, 1 out of 10 lost days of work each year is attributed to the flu.

What this means for businesses is that a flu outbreak can impact a company’s bottom line by destroying employee productivity and morale. “The bad news is that there is no cure for flu yet and infection can happen almost anywhere,” says Ryan Stark, president of Total Quality Cleaning Systems, an Arizona commercial cleaning company. “However,” Stark continues, “a business can take a number of concrete steps to prevent workplace outbreaks these include attention to proper cleaning of surfaces and items in the office, usage of the right types of cleaning equipment and supplies as well as the right cleaning techniques.”

These steps combined with office policies designed to stop spreading by infected persons will result not only in a happier and healthier workforce but benefits to the overall productivity of the organization. Here are eight steps a company can take to mitigate the effects of the flu this season.

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Infection Control Today

Terri Rebmann, PhD, RN, CIC, from the Institute of Biosecurity, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health at Saint Louis University, says that the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic provided a “real-world test” of hospital disaster plans, and that institutions must address ongoing challenges such as “inconsistent use of isolation precautions; changing and conflicting guidelines; lack of available supplies, including N95 respirators and medications; and overwhelming amounts of information that required sifting.” She emphasizes in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology that further research is needed regarding pandemic planning.

Rebmann says that, “A major gap in pandemic planning is the lack of standards or guidelines regarding what it means to be ‘prepared,’ and that examples of infection prevention issues for hospital disaster plans include “having a plan appendix that addresses the unique aspects of infectious disease disasters; having occupational health policies and procedures, such as protocols for occupational exposures; having surveillance and triage protocols for identification of potentially contagious individuals; having sufficient laboratory coverage and supplies; having rapid turnaround in laboratory diagnostic procedures; and having 24/7 coverage for employee exposures. Hospital disaster planners should use published recommendations to assess their disaster plan and to develop policies and procedures that will decrease infection transmission during disasters.”

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Colds and flu? Not you!

By Aviva Patz, Health.com

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Take precautions to avoid germs and keep your immune system healthy
• Get a flu shot before the beginning of flu season
• Washing your hands is the biggest defense against the cold and flu
• Aim for three servings a day of probiotic-rich foods to help strengthen the immune system

(Health.com) — It’s that time again: Everywhere you go, people are sniffling, sneezing, and coughing. Think you’re next to get sick? Not necessarily.

“There are no guarantees, but you can seriously lower your odds of illness by taking simple precautions to avoid germs and keep your immune system humming,” says Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, M.D., clinical associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.

Use this checklist to stay healthy through cold-and-flu season and beyond.

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Corp! Magazine

By Peter Sheldon
Oct. 7, 2010

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating that, on average, between 5 and 20 percent of Americans contract the flu annually, it’s important for businesses to put measures in place to curb the spread of flu in the office. Your staff is in close quarters at all times, passing items from hand to hand; the conditions are ripe to spread any flu bugs that might be present.

Hand-to-face contact is a primary way flu and other germs are spread, so the first and most important step in any program to prevent the spread of flu viruses is education. Keeping effective hand washing and hygiene at the top of everyone’s mind using flyers, e-mails or meetings is the best way to ensure people are properly cleaning their hands on a regular basis. Another way to encourage hand-hygiene is installing stations with alcohol-based hand sanitizer throughout the office. This simple step can help to ensure your staff will be more likely to clean their hands intermittently throughout the day.

Proper surface cleaning and disinfection is another key component to reducing the spread of illness in the office. The utilization of a hygienic cleaning service contractor, or properly trained in-house cleaning staff for after hours cleaning, is critically important. Contractors focused on proper hygienic cleaning leverage a variety of strategies and technologies that replace some of the less effective tactics of traditional cleaning methods. 

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Here’s what you need to know about who should get shots, what the symptoms are, and how to stay well

October 14, 2010|By Angela Haupt U.S. News & World Report

Perhaps no flu season in recent memory has been as hyped and harrowing as last year’s, when the H1N1 virus (also known as “swine flu”) infected millions, and vaccine shortages led to long lines and frustration. As a new flu season dawns, the latest vaccine — which protects against three strains of flu expected to circulate in months ahead, including the H1N1 virus — is available at doctors offices and other clinics.

Here are answers to pressing questions about flu season, the new vaccine, and how to stay healthy:

When does the flu season start and end? Cases were reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September, earlier than the official start of flu season, which was Oct. 1. Flu activity usually peaks in January, February and March, and winds down in May, says Henry Bernstein, a professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ infectious diseases committee.

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Published : Friday, 15 Oct 2010, 12:05 PM EDT

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) – Here’s an app that’s desperately needed for personal touch-screen devices: one that kills germs.

Studies reveal that iPads, iPhones, Droids, Blackberrys and the like are high-tech germ carriers, and especially potent when shared or tried in stores.

In fact, British researchers have found that mobile phones can carry 18 times more bacteria than a flush handle in a typical men’s restroom, reported The Sacramento Bee .

“If you’re sharing the device, then you’re sharing your influenza with someone else who touches it,” said Timothy Julian, a Stanford University doctoral student who co-authored a study on the spread of viruses.

Not exactly what makers of these ubiquitous devices want to hear at the onset of flu season.

“If you put virus on a surface, like an iPhone, about 30 percent of it will get on your fingertips,” Julian said. “A fair amount of it may go from your fingers to your eyes, mouth or nose,” the most likely routes of infection.

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By KRISTY BROWNLEE, QMI AGENCY
September 22, 2010

University of Alberta researchers are close to developing the first ever inhaler to curb ill coughers from spreading infection.

The drug is geared to protect front-line health workers and prevent the spread of an outbreak pandemic like H1N1.
“In emergency wards, if someone comes in coughing, it will reduce the chance of spreading whatever they have to everyone else,” said Dr. Malcolm King on Wednesday, a biochemical professor.
The drug, similar to an asthma inhaler, would eliminate the germs found in the millions of droplets released from coughing.
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