Every year influenza is responsible for thousands of deaths in Australia. When it comes to managing the illness, everyone has an important role to play. Employers can assist with stopping the spread of influenza by running corporate flu vaccination programs. Here’s a few reasons why corporate flu vaccinations matter.
Influenza can be serious
Every year influenza kills an average of 2,800 Australians. The young, old and immunocompromised are at a greater risk of complications related to the virus. People who catch the influenza virus become highly contagious and can pose a serious risk to those who can’t effectively fight off the virus. People can be contagious even when they don’t know it and aren’t showing any symptoms and can make infants, pregnant women and older people very ill – spreading it to someone who is at risk of complications could be fatal.
Even relatively healthy people who catch influenza will take an average of two weeks to recover, which can have a serious impact on both work and home life.
Corporate flu vaccinations can help to seriously reduce the rate of infection and stop people from spreading infection. This has numerous benefits, not only for the health and safety of people but also for the bottom line of companies who likely won’t see the same level of absenteeism and productivity loss as they’re used to seeing throughout winter.
It won’t make you sick
Some people mistakenly believe that influenza shots will make them ill with the flu, but this is not the case at all. Corporate flu vaccinations are a great educational tool for employees and their families. The influenza shot doesn’t contain any of the active virus and can’t make you ill. If you come down with the virus after getting a shot you were likely already infected before being injected. Some people will still get the virus, although the symptoms are often less severe. It’s also possible to experience side effects from the shot, most often this will involve pain at the sight of injection, a low grade fever and muscle aches. It will take a few weeks after injection before immunity will develop so people can sometimes get th virus whilst their immunity is still building up.
You need to get it every year
People need to get an annual booster shot every year to fight influenza because of how frequently it mutates and corporate flu vaccinations can help make sure that happens as it acts as a great prompt for employees who might otherwise forget to get an injection. Protecting a whole workforce has a flow of effect to people at home and can help to reduce Australia’s overall rates of infection. Corporate flu vaccinations can help to protect the community at large and will improve a companies image. The more people that get immunised the better when it comes to the workforce and the nation at large. People suffering from the illness can be a substantial burden on the health system every winter, putting pressure on hospitals and putting other people at risk.
Corporate flu vaccinations are a safe and effective way for companies to protect their workers and show that they value health and safety in the workforce. They are highly affordable, especially when compared to the cost of lost productivity and absenteeism every year. Every company should consider implementing their own program to help protect their staff. If you’re looking to implement a program at your office, look for local healthcare provider that provides the service, many offer great prices and will come to deliver shots in your office.
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