It’s summertime and maybe the last thing on our minds is seasonal flu. However, now is the time to give some thought to the passing of the seasons and the inevitable arrival of winter and accompanying seasonal-flu outbreaks.
We all think we know what flu is – but do we? Influenza is a viral infection that affects the respiratory tract. The symptoms of flu may include a severe cough, sore throat, sneezing with a runny nose, shivering, fever, aching muscles, headache and generally feeling tired and unwell.
Flu usually lasts for about a week but can leave a patient feeling tired and “under the weather” for some time afterwards.
Most people with flu do not require medical treatment and can recover at home, but in severe cases, it can cause hospitalisation and, for some vulnerable people, this can be serious.
How many times do we hear someone say that they were off sick from work for a day as they “had flu”?
If someone is off sick for one day then they certainly did not have flu.
Flu is more serious than having a heavy cold and generally lasts longer, often leaving a patient feeling run-down for weeks afterwards.
A patient with flu needs to stay at home until the more debilitating symptoms have passed and they are no longer infectious.
If you are working offshore, you’ll be in close proximity to your colleagues for long periods, and that’s an ideal opportunity for flu to get passed from one person to another.
If you have flu-like symptoms and/or a high temperature, you should not mobilise offshore, but stay at home to rest and recover.
As individuals, we all have a part to play in reducing the spread of colds and flu. It’s not just polite to cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing. It really is a public-health duty, and there are other simple guidelines to follow including:
Use a tissue to cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, dispose of the tissue promptly in a covered waste bin and then wash your hands.
Do not use cloth handkerchiefs or reuse tissues as this can lead to re-contamination.
Clean hands frequently with soap and water, especially after coughing, sneezing and using tissues.
Avoid touching the mouth, eyes and/or nose unless you have recently cleaned your hands.
Seasonal flu can, in the acute period, leave a person unable to work for seven to 10 days, and it may be several weeks until they are back working at an optimal level again. When you consider the number of highly skilled and specialist workers employed in the oil&gas industry, you can appreciate that seasonal sickness absence can be a major problem.
Many employers are now recognising the financial and human costs of seasonal flu and are arranging for staff to have flu vaccinations.
Flu vaccinations are produced annually to closely match the most likely viruses that have been identified in advance – always ensuring that you are offered the most up-to-date protection on a yearly basis.
After the concerns raised by the swine-flu pandemic of last year, it’s good to know that a new flu vaccine has been developed which will offer protection against that particular strain.
However, individuals at higher risk of complications (such as those with asthma) will be offered a separate swine-flu vaccination as well as the seasonal-flu vaccine.
It should be noted that the flu vaccination cannot 100% guarantee that you won’t get seasonal flu, but in the highly unlikely event that you do, the illness will be in a milder form.
The flu vaccine doesn’t contain live viruses and therefore can’t give you flu. Side-effects from the flu vaccination are rare and minor in comparison with the risks associated with actually having seasonal flu.
A flu vaccination needs to be administered by a qualified nurse and delivered to the highest clinical standards, so for ease of service delivery, it is advised that vaccinations should be provided while staff are onshore.
The best time to have your flu vaccination is between September and November, before the winter flu season sets in. So while we are in the midst of enjoying the benefits of summer sunshine and holiday opportunities, now is the time to look ahead.
Employers can help to prevent increased sickness absence by preparing their employees for seasonal-flu prevention. Preparation now can yield benefits for the health and wellbeing of a workforce whether they are working onshore or offshore.
Val Grant is senior occupational-health nurse at occupational-health specialist Abermed