Make it your business to fight the flu!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu is responsible for the loss of close to 17 million workdays each flu season in the United States and costs $87 billion annually. Research by the CDC shows the flu virus is most active between the months of December and March. Employers can play a key role in protecting their employees during this time of the year, therefore increasing productivity, reducing absences, and lowering health care costs.

During last year’s flu season, there was a high level of flu activity in Bay County, FL and across the nation. Each year, the CDC works to make the influenza vaccine better. Flu vaccines can vary in effectiveness from season to season, but they continue to be the most effective way to prevent the flu and serious influenza complications.

The Florida Department of Health recommends getting your vaccine before Halloween and usually start becoming available in October. The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older, including pregnant women. It takes about two weeks after vaccination before the shot becomes effective. If your employees are not vaccinated by the end of October, they should get vaccinated as soon as they can during the flu season.

Some of your employees may be at a higher risk of complications from the flu. This includes; pregnant women and person with medical conditions like asthma, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Encouraging all employees to be vaccinated is the best way to protect these groups, as well as others in your organization.

The easier you make it for employees to be vaccinated, the more likely they will be to do so. One way to accomplish this would be to host a vaccination clinic. You can do this by contacting your insurance provider to discuss options or reaching out to a medical partner that can offer the service. If that is not feasible, you could look at giving employees free or reduced-cost vaccines.

Another option would be to promote opportunities within the community that make it more convenient for employees and their families to get vaccinated. The Florida Department of Health’s flu shot locator is a great tool to share locations that offer vaccines, www. flhealth.gov/findaflushot. Vaccination opportunities can be promoted through newsletters, Intranet sites, email, staff meetings, or paycheck inserts.

When it comes to flu shots, like everything else in business, you want to lead by example. Make sure you and your leadership team are getting vaccinated. This will encourage other employees to follow suit.

In addition to promoting flu vaccines, organization leaders should also allow employees who are sick to stay home from work to avoid getting other employees ill. Generally with the flu, this would mean that the person has been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications. The flu often spreads in colder months when people are inside more and in close contact.

Although it sounds cliché, good handwashing techniques are important when it comes to fighting the flu. Make sure to remind your employees to wash their hands more frequently during flu season. This is especially important for those employees in customer service that may work with many customers throughout the course of their day. If they have a position that doesn’t allow them to leave their desk often, another great option would be to use hand sanitizer. Businesses should also make it a habit to clean and disinfect commonly used surfaces.

Symptoms of the flu include; fever (in some cases), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. Tell your employees if they become ill with flu-like symptoms to contact their health care provider as soon as possible. A health care provider can prescribe antiviral treatment if appropriate. Treatment is most effective when started within 48 hours, so calling as soon as they become ill is important, especially if they are at a higher risk for complications: children younger than 5, adults over the age of 65, pregnant women, and those with underlying medical conditions.

The CDC offers a toolkit for businesses and employers. The kit includes recommended strategies for businesses and employers, how to promote flu vaccines, key facts about the flu season, print materials for use at your business, and many other resources. To download the toolkit, go to www. cdc.gov/flu/business.

Visit FluFreeFlorida.com for more information on how you can be a partof #FluFreeFlorida. Visit www.floridahealth.gov/floridaflu for more informationon influenza and influenza-like illness in Florida.