Business travel while sick: facts you need to know!!

Business travel while sick: facts you need to know!!: 

• The highest rates of flu have been among those aged one to four
• The second-highest rates are among those aged between 15 and 44
• Most fatalities have been aged between five and 65
• More than a third of deaths have not been in high-risk groups

Nearly all of those who died had not been immunized. Here is a guide of the different types of flu, how to avoid it, and how to deal with the symptoms if you do catch it.

Severe cases of flu are crippling, chances are that you or a member of your family have suffered from it

• What is the difference between a cold, flu and swine flu? 

A cold is a mild illness caused by a respiratory virus that generally causes sneezing, a cough, a sore throat and a runny nose. It lasts for a short time and causes no complications. 

Flu is a more serious illness caused by a different group of viruses (the influenza viruses). The symptoms are muscle pain, marked tiredness, sweating, shivering, fever and congestion. Chest complications are common in those with chest or heart disease. Flu can be caused by a number of different influenza viruses and swine flu is one of these. Swine flu causes diarrhea and very high temperatures, more so than other flu. 

If I've had the flu shot, am I covered for swine flu? 

Yes. The seasonal flu vaccine this year contains three strains of influenza virus including swine flu. 

If I've already had flu, is it still worth me having the shot? 

If in a high risk group then it is definitely worth it. It may be you have had flu caused by a different strain of influenza virus and the vaccination can offer you protection from other strains, including swine flu.

Can I be a carrier of the virus without having symptoms? 

We have seen people test positive for swine flu who have shown very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. This means you can infect others without showing any symptoms yourself. This is not really being a carrier  -  we call this a sub-clinical infection. 

Does the flu virus react differently in each of us?

Yes. All infections cause a spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild to severe and it is hard to predict how we will react. As well as background health, factors including how many virus particles the body takes on  -  known as viral load  -  are important. 

What medicine should I take if I have flu?

Healthy adults should take acetaminophen (usually two tablets) every six hours. In addition, you can take 400mg ibuprofen every eight hours. It is safe to take the two together. 

When should we call a doctor? 

Anyone in one of the high risk groups who has not been vaccinated should call the doctor immediately if you suspect swine flu.

What are the red flag signs for calling a doctor if not high risk? 

Red flag signs are breathlessness, a fever that is not going down, or reduced urination. It is important to remember lethargy is normal with flu  -  but drowsiness is not. 

When am I contagious? 

You are most infectious/contagious soon after developing symptoms. You can continue to spread the virus, by sneezing, for up to five days. You become less infectious as symptoms subside, and once symptoms are gone, no longer considered infectious. 

Can flu be carried on/in food? 

There is no research to suggest swine flu can be carried on or in food, including pork products. Contaminated objects can transfer the virus so basic hygiene is important when handling everything, including food. 

How long can flu germs exist on a surface? 

Up to 48 hours, depending on the temperature and humidity. Flu viruses survive longer on surfaces than cold viruses. 

Should I be putting my dishwasher on at a higher temperature? 

No. Washing with any detergent and water is enough to remove virus particles. 

And the washing machine? 

Flu viruses cannot survive on clothes for long and washing at normal temperatures is sufficient to remove them. 

Can I transmit it to others via my skin or clothes? 

It does seem to be more contagious than other flu illnesses with more people getting ill from any one contact. Coughing and sneezing creates an aerosol of virus that spreads up to a metre and infection is also possible from contaminated hard surfaces such as door handles rather than clothes. Keep hands clean and there should be no virus to transmit. 

Reprint from the UK Daily Mail | By DR ELLIE CANNON: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1345125/FLU-symptoms-Heres-ALL-need-know.html

More Travel Tips!

• Remember, wash your hands after you sneeze or cough!!
• Always wash your hands after touching the ATM, or when using your credit card
• Never put your hotel key in your mouth! 

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Posted in: colds,flu,influenza,SWINE FLU,TRAVEL

The Top 5 Places to Catch the Flu | Occupational Healthcare

The Top 5 Places to Catch the Flu 

Here we are just into the opening weeks of a new year, and influenza is well into its annual assault on America. Germs aren’t hard to find this season, but where they hide might surprise you.

At the Office
We spend more than a third of our lives at the workplace. This tops our list for flu exposure. Depending on the layout of where you work, you may find yourself uncomfortably close to a sneezing, sputtering coworker. Perhaps you share a telephone with several others. Breath is heavy with moisture and creates a nice warm place for bacteria and viruses to multiply in the telephone mouthpiece. So you may be sharing more that simply a telephone.
Keyboards also get pretty germy. Our fingers are moist and a bit oily, and leave a film on the keyboard surface. This is a perfect place to grow germs. Keyboard use is a good way to both leave and pick up germs. One study found more germs on a keyboard than a toilet handle. Where is that can of Lysol?

How about that break area at the workplace. Which refrigerator gets cleaned more often, the one at home, or the one at work? Washing coffee mugs at work usually takes a quarter of the time and half the amount of soap that the same mug would get at home. Not surprisingly, they don’t get too clean and can be a source of influenza germs. Has that sponge in the break room been replaced since the company opened? Old sponges smell bad for a reason. Old magazines in the break room have been read by generations of people, few of which wash their hands. Put those same magazines in a doctor’s waiting room, and they get to heroic levels of germs rather quickly. Magazines don’t do too well in the washing machine.
photo © 2005 Michael | more info (via: Wylio)

At Home
We all try pretty hard to not leave used tissues lying around the house – these are the hand grenades of the germ world. Germs are sneaky and inventive in their hiding places. The remote control gets handled by many greasy hands – chips and TV anyone? The kitchen at home is cleaner than the one at work but still contains more germs than the bathroom. When is the last time you cleaned the cabinet door to the kitchen waste basket? How about the refrigerator handle? Care to guess how many germs get tracked in on your shoes from the outside?

On the Go
Start with your own car. Rarely do we risk an accident by sanitizing the steering wheel after a good sneeze. Anyone else drive your car? Public transportation in its many forms also serves as a germ reservoir. From elevators and escalators to city buses, large numbers of often sick people pass though, leaving more than a footprint. Who last pushed that elevator button? Who last used the hand rails? I need to take a break and wash my hands.
Airplanes are particularly worrisome as far as influenza virus is concerned. The air in a commercial jet is re-circulated, perhaps better put, recycled. A couple hundred people are shoulder-to-shoulder and breathing the same recycled air. The air is filtered but lots of interesting germs can be cultured right off the filter. There is not enough space to separate you from the germ factory sitting next to you, and it’s always next to you, isn’t it? The aircraft bathroom holds the record for the “germiest” of public bathrooms – all of the usual sources of germs in one-tenth the space. The interesting roaring sound the aircraft toilet makes actually can put colonic bacteria (ecoli) into the air for all to breathe.

Your Retail Life
At least they have figured out shopping cart handles and placed disinfectant wipes close by. You might wipe more than just the handle, as the last user could have had a sick child in the cart seat.

Everybody knows money is dirty, but credit cards get handled a lot more and are never cleaned. How about the keypad in the grocery line with the credit card swiper? None are cleaned on any kind of regular schedule.

The gas pump handle also sees a lot of hand traffic but no cleaning.

Finally, your cell phone is not always your best friend. Pass it to friends to make a call, show a picture or share a Facebook comment – lots of hands, no cleaning.

Although it seems tempting, I don’t recommend you actually live your life in a bunny suit. Your immune system is designed to help you survive the various insults. You can give it a big help with a yearly flu shot.
Be well, Dr. B
http://ushealthworks.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/the-top-5-places-to-catch-the-flu/

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Posted in: bug,flu,GERMS,home,influenza,office,teria,virus,work