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Families, this was sent by the director of the Culver
City Plunge. Please take note of the preventitive measures
suggested.
This information is the latest information available from the
Centers of Disease Control (CDC). This year’s flu
season is anticipated to be the worse we have ever seen! There are
things that we can do to protect ourselves, our community and our
workplace. Please take the time to read the following and
pass on the information to your family and friends.
This information is also available on SWAMI. The video
referenced herein cannot be viewed from here. To view, and I
highly recommend that you do, visit SWAMI and select “Flu
Season is starting. Get ready now!” Thank
you!
Flu season is starting. Get ready now!
The flu (influenza) season is starting and will last through the
fall and winter. More than one kind of flu virus will be spreading
this season, including seasonal flu and the 2009 H1N1 flu. If you
get the flu, you can get sick and can spread the flu to others at
home, at work, and in the community. Symptoms of flu include fever
or chills and cough or sore throat. In addition, symptoms of flu
can include runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea,
or vomiting. As employees, there are several things we can do
to reduce the spread of influenza in the workplace.
We can:
• Get the vaccine for seasonal flu and H1N1. The
tentative date for the annual flu clinic is Thursday, October 22,
2009 at Veterans Memorial. The seasonal flu vaccine WILL be
available on that date. If the H1N1 vaccine is available by then,
it will be offered as well.
• Stay home when we are sick. If you have symptoms of
influenza-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your
fever is gone except to get medical care or other necessities (your
fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine
for at least 24 hours). Keep away from others as much as
possible. This is to keep from making others sick.
• Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home. Have
the following items on hand: a supply of fever-reducing medicines
that contain acetaminophen or ibuprofen, alcohol-based hand
cleaners, tissues, and other items that may be useful and help
avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick.
• Employees who are well but who have an ill family member at
home with novel H1N1 can go to work as usual. These employees
should monitor their health every day, notify their supervisor and
stay home if they become ill. Employees who have an underlying
medical condition or who are pregnant should call their health care
provider for advice, because they might need to receive antiviral
drugs to prevent illness.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or
sneeze. If a tissue is not available, “sneeze or cough
in your sleeve”. Click the link http://mrswami/video to watch a short
video (humorous but educational) that clearly outlines the proper
and safe way to cough and sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash
after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after
you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be
used if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread
this way.
• Avoid close contact with sick people. If an employee
suspects that they have been exposed to a sick person with novel
H1N1 influenza they may continue to go to work as usual.
These employees should monitor their health every day and should
notify their supervisor and stay home if they become ill.
By working together, we can protect our workforce while having a
productive fall and winter.
Guidelines came directly from the CDS’s General Business
and Workplace Guidance for the Prevention of Novel Influenza A
(H1N1) Flu in Workers, www.cdc.gov. and from www.flu.gov
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