Swine Flu Questions

HR Hat

Read the publication in the Pandemic Response thread. Have some questions:

How proactive can we be with staff who are sick? Can we require all staff who have a fever and/or flu (and this would include their family) to stay home? Is that legal? We're not in a panic mode, but I'm curious what we can legally do. In fact, we have a staff member whose son is quarantined with influenza Type A, and we are wondering what we should do, if anything.

All of your ideas and thoughts are appreciated.

Jim

Sharon McKnight SPHR

HR Hat,

I think you're headed down a very slippery slope when you require employees to stay home, especially if without pay. A few questions to consider:

How do you determine someone has a temperature? Would everyone have to be monitored on an regular basis?

If an employee says they have a sick child what kind of documentation to prove it will you require?

If someone sneezes, will he/she be kept in an enclosed area until a doctor can be summoned to determine if he/she has swine flu?

If you send someone home that is suspected of being sick, how do you deal with the "talk" among employees? How would you avoid an atmosphere of panic?

Just food for thought.

Sharon

KSR6450

John Phillips just brought up an interesting point on his blog - about school closures. There is a private school here in the Memphis area that just closed. The entire student body had to leave and the parents had to come pick up their children. That means all the parents with healthy children will have to take a day off (if not more) as well. I remember the Swine Flu 'epidemic' from the 70's (and even had A Victoria) so I don't take this outbreak lightly but...

plynnl

I was certainly around in the 70's but don't remember a swine flu outbreak. Was it localized?

KSR6450

I was in California at the time (and only 9)
It must have been seen as a nationwide problem because President Ford called for immunizations that proved to be deadly to people. It has been said that decision helped him lose the election. I guess I remember the outbreak because I was so sick.

[SIZE=2][SIZE=3]1976: Fear of a great plague[/SIZE][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][SIZE=2]"Only young Lewis died from the swine flu itself in 1976. But as the critics are quick to point out, hundreds of Americans were killed or seriously injured by the inoculation the government gave them to stave off the virus."[/SIZE]

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plynnl

Wow, amazing what I can forget.

cnghr

A while back my boss and I were talking about our pandemic preparedness plan and he said something along the lines of "This won't happen in our lifetime." I had forgotten that it already had, in 1957 and 1968. Flu killed millions worldwide both those years. I'm not one to panic, or to make more of a situation than it warrants, but given the way this flu is spreading I think we've got to be prepared for things like employee absences due not only to sickness but also things like school & daycare closures. And given some people's propensity to panic, I'm sure the first local case we hear of we'll have people who will want to stay home "just in case".

I don't remember the flu outbreak in 1976; I was pregnant until April and then had a new baby so if it had been a problem here I think I would have taken notice of it. I don't even remember hearing about people dying from the immunizations for it. I guess I was so consumed with my new baby that I wasn't noticing much that went on outside of my home!

KSR6450

This may jog your memory. It was sent to me by a co-worker. My fear is that if this proves to be a small blip (like 1976) the next time people may not pay attention. And that could be the time they NEED to pay attention.

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=fuchsia][COLOR=fuchsia][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Swine flu commercials[/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=fuchsia][COLOR=fuchsia][FONT=Comic Sans MS][/FONT][/COLOR][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=fuchsia][COLOR=fuchsia][FONT=Comic Sans MS][URL]

plynnl

I was also pregnant until July of that year and I also would think I would have taken notice of a swine flu outbreak because of the pregnancy. Must have been in my own little world.

cnghr

I just found a reference online to the swine flu outbreak of 1976...it was in Fort Dix, New Jersey so that's probably why I don't remember it, since it's so far removed from where I live.

KSR6450

An article from our local paper about St. Jude and how they are working to develop the vaccine. Dr. Webby is a friend. [URL]http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/may/01/st-jude-scientists-at-crux-of-outbreak/[/URL]

St. Jude does research across the board, on all types of illnesses. If anyone would like to make a donation here is the link
[URL]https://shop.stjude.org/GiftCatalog/express-donation.do?fnl=home_btn&plt=STJGENLKALSAC0900001[/URL]

I made one today in memory of my nephew who passed away this week. Most people in Memphis make that request, 'donation to St. Jude in lieu of flowers'. They do really great work there.

NaeNae55

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It is hard to lose someone, but even more so when that someone is young. Please pass on my condolences to your family. I will keep you all in my prayers.

ACU Frank

There is only one of us qualified to speak on Swine Flu.

Pork, where are you?

NaeNae55

I believe Pork told us he was retiring. Apparently his replacement doesn't use this forum.

Tony Kessler

Nae, I remember reading the same about Pork's plans. But I e-mailed this thread to his (former?) work e-mail address just in case. tk

sanddollar

I remember the 1976 outbreak...my husband and I and our 3-year old daughter were living deep in the NH woods in a half-finished house we were building ourselves in our spare time. We had partial heat but no running water, one electric power line, just studs for "walls" , no phone and we were all sleeping on old mattresses on the wood sub-flooring. We were also all so sick and weak from the flu, that we could literally not get up off the floor. No one was able to care for anyone else...YES, it was that BAD. Thank goodness my mother made a chance visit and immediately took control of the situation. Apparently, I was so dehydrated and confused that I had to be hospitalized. Routine tests also discovered I was a few weeks pregnant! The rest of my family were cared for and fed at my mother's house. Since then, I have always had a healthy respect for that nasty virus called influenza--no matter what form it takes. Today, I directed our office manager to order enough antibacterial gel for every person's office and we are reviewing our "sick" policies at the same time. Everyone will have a link to the CDC website as well as our State office of public health preparedness.

sonny

We have talked to our attorney and believe we can send people home who come to work obviously ill and can require a Dr.'s note to return. We have a VERY generous sick leave program so no one should lose pay. Hopefully it won't come to that and I don't know who will be the flu symptom police.

The point above re: becoming complacent is a good one. Apparently lots of hype last time with not much problem. Like hurricane talk around here. The media starts scaring the hell out of people as soon as there is a Nor'easter and eventually people ignore them and when the big one comes we are in deep do-do. There has to be a middle ground between panic and ignorant bliss, imo.

KS. . so sorry for your loss.

I think PoRK is long retired. Those were the good old days.

Paul in Cannon Beach

China has developed a vaccination for the swine flu and will begin mass inoculations soon.

Why do I feel like I'd rather risk the swine flu than get inoculated with a Chinese vaccination?

Still Need Coffee

Because they might use a lead needle?

Paul in Cannon Beach

Isnt it awesome that we can have fun with this? They say laughter is the best medicine. I'll vaccinate myself thank you.

Dutch2

Never forget "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine."

KSR6450

A friend has three daughters, two of whom have contracted the Swine Flu. His ex-wife is their school nurse and apparently there were more than 50 cases at their high school as of last week. This is the worst case of flu she has seen and his girls were in terrible pain. That was a week ago, they are still very sick. This is not something to take too lightly.

plynnl

The owner of our company bought enough bottles and dispensers of hand sanitizer to sanitize us for the next few years. She got a bit carried away.