TL;DR: Flu season hits more durable than you suppose — particularly at work. Germs disguise on shared surfaces, and the virus can unfold earlier than signs present up. These stunning details will change how you concentrate on workplace hygiene, sick days, and easy methods to hold your group wholesome all season lengthy.
Simply while you thought pumpkin spice was the largest factor arriving this fall, flu season exhibits up quietly, able to crash your calendar and your immune system.
However earlier than you roll your eyes and chalk it up as “only a unhealthy chilly,” maintain up.
The flu is sneakier, quicker, and far more highly effective than most individuals understand. In actual fact, there’s loads in regards to the flu that may simply shock you. And the extra you realize about it, the higher ready you’ll be to remain wholesome and hold your group going sturdy.
From unusual historic details to issues most individuals by no means hear about, we’re diving into the bizarre, wild world of influenza, and why this fall is the proper time to guard your self and your office.
A Temporary Historical past of the Flu
The flu has been round a very long time. Like, ancient-Rome-long. Nevertheless it’s not simply an previous virus — it’s a intelligent one. It evolves. It adapts. And once we underestimate it, it reminds us who’s boss. Particularly in locations just like the office, the place viruses like to mingle.
The primary main outbreak we all know of was in 1580.
That’s over 400 years in the past! It swept by way of Asia, Europe, and North Africa. And guess what? Folks quarantined, prevented crowds, and tried to guard others. Sound acquainted?
The 1918 flu pandemic modified every thing.
Also referred to as the Spanish flu, it contaminated about one-third of the world’s inhabitants. The pandemic was each far-reaching and lethal, with estimates suggesting that 10 to twenty p.c of those that caught the virus didn’t survive. It hit younger, wholesome adults particularly exhausting.
It didn’t cease there.
We’ve had a number of main flu pandemics since:
- 1957 (Asian flu)
- 1968 (Hong Kong flu)
- 2009 (H1N1 “swine flu”)
Every time, the flu virus modified simply sufficient to catch us off guard.
And right this moment?
We’re higher ready than ever. Due to annual flu pictures, improved hygiene, and quick public well being response. However the virus nonetheless evolves yearly, which is why the vaccine will get up to date each single season.
Understanding the historical past of the flu helps clarify why prevention issues right this moment. As a result of regardless that we’ve come a great distance since 1918, the flu nonetheless prices the U.S. billions of {dollars} every year in misplaced productiveness, medical prices, and absenteeism. And for some individuals, it’s nonetheless life-threatening.
13 Flu Information You May Not Know
Right here’s a better have a look at what makes the flu such a formidable foe and why prevention is price prioritizing:
1. The flu and a chilly aren’t the identical.
Sure, they will really feel comparable. However the flu hits more durable and quicker. Assume fever, physique aches, chills, and critical fatigue. A chilly often builds slowly. The flu doesn’t wait.
2. You possibly can unfold the flu earlier than you’re feeling sick.
The flu virus is sneaky. You possibly can unfold it a full day earlier than flu signs even begin. Which means Monday conferences can flip into Thursday sick days for the entire workplace.
3. The flu virus adjustments yearly.
That’s why the flu shot is up to date yearly. Scientists examine which strains are spreading across the globe and design the vaccine to match. It’s like updating your mobile phone software program, it retains you protected.
4. Wholesome individuals can nonetheless get significantly sick.
Even in case you’re younger and in nice form, the flu can knock you out for every week or extra. And in uncommon circumstances, it could result in problems like pneumonia or different critical sicknesses. Staying wholesome isn’t a assure, however a flu shot helps scale back your threat.
5. Flu season isn’t attributable to chilly climate however the virus likes it.
The flu virus thrives in dry, chilly air. That’s why winter is its favourite time to make the rounds — particularly indoors with the home windows shut.
6. The flu can unfold as much as six ft
Yep. Simply speaking, coughing, or sneezing can launch flu droplets into the air and onto surfaces. Your keyboard? Espresso pot? Workplace door deal with? All honest sport.
7. The flu shot doesn’t simply defend you.
It helps defend that coworker who’s pregnant, your supervisor’s toddler at residence, and the teammate who takes care of an aged mother or father. When sufficient individuals get vaccinated, it slows the unfold — even defending people who can’t get the shot themselves.
8. You may get flu and COVID on the similar time.
Double bother. Consultants name it “flurona,” and it’s as nasty because it sounds. Getting your flu shot is one highly effective strategy to scale back your threat of a depressing viral tag-team.
9. The flu virus can survive on surfaces for as much as 48 hours.
Analysis exhibits that each influenza A and B viruses can dwell on exhausting surfaces — like chrome steel, plastic, and doorknobs — for as much as 24 to 48 hours. That elevator button? Desk cellphone? Breakroom microwave deal with? Yep, nonetheless contagious. (And undoubtedly price a wipe-down.)
10. The flu makes you’re feeling drained as a result of your physique is working additional time.
When the flu virus enters your system, your immune response kicks into excessive gear. Consider it like an inner emergency crew springing into motion. However all that immune system exercise takes a toll. It makes use of up tons of vitality, which is why you’re feeling so drained. On high of that, fever (a standard flu symptom) accelerates your metabolism and will increase the demand for vitality, leaving you much more exhausted.
11. You possibly can nonetheless get the flu even in case you’ve had it earlier than.
There are 4 fundamental kinds of flu — A, B, C, and D. A and B trigger seasonal outbreaks in individuals. C is milder, and D principally impacts cattle. Annually, they present up with new twists, which is why final yr’s immunity may not assist this time.
12. The identify “influenza” comes from the Italian phrase for “affect.”
Within the 1300s, individuals believed the sickness was influenced by the celebrities. The time period was shortened to flu within the first half of the nineteenth century. Fortunately, we’ve upgraded to science since then.
13. The flu hits companies, too.
It prices U.S. employers over $11.2 billion a yr in misplaced productiveness alone. Add in healthcare prices, and the quantity greater than doubles. On-site flu shot clinics aren’t simply well being perks. They’re sensible enterprise.
Why This Issues at Work
One particular person with the flu can unintentionally unfold it to dozens of others. In workplaces the place individuals collaborate, share house, and even simply move within the hallway, that’s an enormous deal.
Flu season doesn’t simply have an effect on sick days, it impacts productiveness, morale, and general wellness. Getting a flu shot helps defend you and the individuals round you.
Listed below are some simple methods to assist stop the unfold of the flu:
- Get your flu shot
- Keep residence in case you’re feeling sick
- Wash your fingers repeatedly
- Maintain hand sanitizer close by (and use it!)
- Cowl your coughs and sneezes
Taking a couple of easy steps now — like getting vaccinated or encouraging your group to take action — can result in a more healthy, happier office all season lengthy.
Want a straightforward strategy to defend your group? E book your on-site flu shot clinic with TotalWellness now. It’s quick. It’s simple.
