Like last year, this year's influenza season appears to be mild, but the battle is far from won, and diligence must be maintained to minimize the flu's impact on vulnerable demographics this winter.
Preparing Your Facility for Influenza
Reported incidences of influenza this year have been, blessedly, minimal.
Presently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list:
- One state--New Mexico--with high levels of ILI activity.
- 0.3% positive clinical lab tests for the week, and;
- A 2.1% infection rate, which is well below the baseline.
Source:
However, just because the pathogen's spread is considered low to mild in most states, including California, it does not mean the virus will not hit your facility--potentially hard.
A failure to proactively maintain high levels of facility sanitation could lead to a costly and deadly outbreak.
According to Cleaning Maintenance & Management;
Influenza has resulted in between 9 and 45 million illnesses each year since 2010, the CDC finds.
These illnesses lead to 111 million lost workdays costing businesses an estimated US$16.3 million per year.
With that in mind, we recommend the following steps:
Targeted Approach
Unlike SARS-CoV-2, influenza is primarily spread via contact with contaminated surfaces or people--most commonly via high touch surfaces, conventionally referred to as fomites.
Investing your organization's resources in high-quality routine cleaning combined with targeted fomite disinfection throughout the day will significantly reduce the presence of the influenza pathogen on surfaces, decreasing the likelihood of it spreading to and among facility occupants.
Only use disinfectant products registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use against influenza and only use the product as directed by the manufacturer.
Hand Hygiene
When combined with enhanced cleaning and targeted disinfection services, proper hand hygiene has been proven to significantly reduce the presence and transmission of the influenza virus and other common pathogens and pathogenic bacteria.
According to the CDC, high levels of hand hygiene compliance:
- Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 23-40%.
- Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%.
- Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21%.
- Reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in schoolchildren by 29-57%.
- Handwashing with soap could protect about one out of every three young children who get sick with diarrhea and almost one out of five young children with respiratory infections like pneumonia.
- Handwashing education and access to soap in schools can help improve attendance.
Source:
Common Sense
If the recent pandemic has taught us anything, it is the value of social avoidance when symptoms of illness arise.
If you are experiencing symptoms and know that you are sick but must venture out into public:
- Avoid direct contact with others as much as possible.
- Cough and sneeze into your elbow as practical, and;
- Use hand sanitizer in place of soap and water to prevent the spread of germs from your hand to public surfaces or others.
If you become sick at work, the CDC guidelines state;
CDC recommends that workers who have flu symptoms upon arrival to work or become ill during the day should promptly separate themselves from other workers and go home until at least 24 hours after their fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications, or after symptoms have improved (at least 4-5 days after flu symptoms started).
Flexible leave policies and alternate work schedules will help prevent the spread of flu at your workplace, allow employees to continue to work or function while limiting contact with others, help maintain continuity of operations, and help people manage their health and their family’s needs.
Takeaway
Regardless of how mild the current cold and flu season appears to be shaping up, mitigating the risk of a potential outbreak is just as critical to the health and safety of facility occupants today as it has been in years past.
One could make the argument that it is even more vital today than in previous years.
Establishing a consistent routine of high-quality cleaning and targeted disinfection combined with good handwashing practices has been shown to eliminate the risk of transmission by breaking the chain of infection at multiple stages.
Outsourcing is a proven method for quickly onboarding highly in-demand custodial and facilities maintenance services at a fraction of the cost of managing a similar service in-house.
If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation onsite assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield, CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Fresno, CA, call (559) 206-1059
In Valencia, CA, or Santa Clarita, CA, call (661) 437-3253
In Palmdale, CA or Lancaster, CA, call (661) 371-4756
