Business Pulse: 2014-2015 Flu Season

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business pulseBy Charles Stokes

For me, flu prevention is personal. I recently spent time with my two-year-old granddaughter in New York City, and it got me thinking about how important it is for her to get a flu vaccine—and for our entire extended family to get vaccinated as well.

When I returned to work in Atlanta this week, I began thinking about how important each member of our staff is to the CDC Foundation’s business continuity as we advance CDC’s life-saving work. To help protect them, and our vital efforts, all employees who participate in our benefits plan will have the opportunity to get a free flu vaccine at our offices in early October, and I’m setting aside time that day to get my flu shot. To me, it’s is a simple, effective way to protect myself, my colleagues and my family from influenza.

That’s why I’m pleased that we’re launching Business Pulse: Flu Prevention today. The web-based business brief offers access to guidelines and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help businesses prevent and control the flu during the 2014–2015 flu season. Here are five takeaways I have from Business Pulse that I hope will also help you protect your employees’ health—and your company’s profitability:

  1. Vaccination is the single best way to prevent the flu. According to CDC, an estimated 45 percent of the U.S. population got a flu vaccine during the 2012-2013 flu season, preventing an estimated 6.6 million flu-related illnesses, 3.2 million flu-related medical visits and 79,000 hospitalizations. However, many more people could have been protected if they had gotten vaccinated.
  2. Employers can play an important role in preventing flu by promoting flu vaccination efforts and taking steps to protect their employees from flu.
  3. Anti-viral drugs can treat the flu. A flu vaccine is the first and best way to prevent influenza, but antiviral drugs can lessen symptoms, shorten the time a person is sick and prevent serious flu complications, like pneumonia. For employees with a high-risk medical condition, an antiviral drug can mean the difference between having milder illness instead of very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay.
  4. Everyday preventive steps can interrupt the spread of flu in the workplace. Steps like staying home and away from others when sick, covering coughs and sneezes and washing hands are important.
  5. Flu seasons are unpredictable and vary in severity, and influenza can make anyone sick—including employees who are otherwise healthy. CDC encourages everyone 6 months and older to get vaccinated this flu season.

Charlie StokesCDC’s flu prevention efforts are vital to a healthy workforce and economy—as well as to a healthy family and community. I encourage you to check out Business Pulse: Flu Preventionfor advice and simple actions you can take to help ensure healthier employees and lower healthcare costs.

Charles Stokes is President and CEO of the CDC Foundation

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6 comments on “Business Pulse: 2014-2015 Flu Season”

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    Are we really enough prepared to prevent the possible Ebola outbreak? I’m a Public Health Professional from Nepal, we share an equal risk with India. We share 1751 Km of Open Border with India and there are many Nepalese UN peace keeping troops who are serving in Liberia, Congo, Sudan so the chances are high that some of these troops who are returning back are affected by Ebola.
    Mostly CDC is concerned with disease prevention in US territory, but in an advent of such disaster in Asia, are there any special contingency plan for Disease prevention ?

    Regards.

    I requested a flu vac. and also a B12 inj. at ofc visit. I have this feeling, then (2 wks ago) and now that I was given 2 flu vac and not the b12……would that affect me in any way?

    Question…….. When is the last day that a flu shot should be administered for the 2014-2015 season in Georgia

    Thanks for your comment on this Public Health Matters post. If you have a question for CDC, please contact CDC-INFO (https://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html). Operators are available by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics. The phone number is 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).

    Thanks for your comment on this Public Health Matters post. If you have a question for CDC, please contact CDC-INFO (https://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html). Operators are available by phone and email to help you find the latest, reliable, and science-based health information on more than 750 health topics. The phone number is 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).

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Page last reviewed: October 10, 2014
Page last updated: October 10, 2014