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There’s some good news in terms of flu this year! First, the Southern Hemisphere’s flu season wasn’t particularly rough, which is important because it’s usually a good indicator of how ours will turn out. It did start a bit early, and plenty of people still got sick, but the numbers of hospitalizations and deaths weren’t abnormally high. We also have some strong evidence that this year’s flu shot is a good match for the strains that are circulating. It’s a bit of a guessing game each year, and it’s a relief to know that this year’s offers strong protection against the flu. Now’s the time to go get your flu shot!
Source: WSJ
A new study looked at two outbreaks from the same camp in Spain that led to dozens of schoolchildren and teachers getting sick in two separate incidents over a week apart. Both outbreaks were tied to the same two food handlers who worked sick or just after feeling better during the first outbreak and were likely still infectious during the second a week later. Interestingly, the hand washing sink was not adequately stocked - a piece of information that’s relevant to our Best Question last week about inadequate hand washing stations as the most common food code violation in the US this year. In addition to this study about one specific situation, a large CDC study of over 500 outbreaks in the US found that employees working sick were tied to 40% of outbreaks and that norovirus was the most common outbreak. The number one thing to help prevent norovirus outbreaks is to emphasize that employees must stay home if they have vomiting and diarrhea, and if it’s a LOT of it, they need to stay home for two full days after their GI symptoms end. That, and please make sure your hand washing sinks have hot water, soap, and paper towels!
Stress-induced rashes, usually hives, are actually somewhat common. And for those with existing skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, stress can contribute to flare-ups, as well. If an employee has hives or rash that can be fully covered, they can continue to work as long as they don’t have any open wounds, blisters, or lesions. If it can’t be fully covered (for example, it’s on their face and neck), we recommend keeping them out of work. It may be stress-related hives, but it could also be any number of other issues - from an allergic reaction to chickenpox. If it’s a recurring issue and the employee says it’s stress-related, we recommend asking for a doctor’s note that clears them to work in your setting.
Source: CNN
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