The flu has come to town, and you can expect it to stick around and get worse.
“It’s in St. Louis, and it’s likely to get worse over the next four to six weeks than get better,” said Dr. Donald Kennedy, infectious disease professor at St. Louis University. “Once it’s in town, it’s in town; and that’s the way it is.”
The latest statewide and national data shows minimal flu activity across Missouri up until Dec. 24 – before the peak of holiday togetherness and travel – but a jump in the number of patients showing up with symptoms at St. Louis-area emergency departments over the past week.
That's from STLToday.com, reporting on the uptick of flu activity in our area.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that, on average, seasonal flu outbreaks cost the nation’s economy $10.4 billion in direct costs of hospitalizations and outpatient visits. That does not include the indirect costs related to lost productivity and absenteeism.
Keep your office healthy.
Employers can get ahead of an outbreak by promoting prevention through common sense measures like encouraging employees to get vaccinated, and thorough cleaning and disinfecting of common areas in the office.
