It's That Time of Year - if You Are Sick Stay at Home

TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2012 /CNW/ - This season, Ontario's Doctors are re-launching their 'Snot's Not Hot' campaign, which encourages anyone who has the flu to take a sick day and stay home from work if they can. Staying home and limiting contact with others prevents the spread of the flu virus to people, who in turn could pass it along to their friends and family.

As part of the campaign, Ontario's Doctors want to raise awareness in your workplace. This year, if you tweet a picture of a 'Snot's Not Hot' poster in your office to @OntariosDoctors you will be entered into a contest to win a subscription to Apple TV. Printable posters can be downloaded from the OMA's website (www.oma.org/stayhome), to post around the office.

The flu is highly contagious. Most cold and flu viruses are spread because people touch surfaces and then touch their faces, other objects and other people. Some of the most contaminated sources are the surfaces people touch travelling to and from work. For example, more than 60 percent of gas pump and more than 40 percent of escalator rails and ATM machine buttons are highly contaminated, exposing people to illness-causing viruses. That is why it's important to wash your hands frequently throughout the day to help prevent you from getting sick or spreading illness around the office.

If an employee is feeling sick, it is best that they stay home from work. If staying home isn't an option, employees should try to minimize the risk of spreading the virus by always coughing and sneezing into their elbow, using hand sanitizer, and washing their hands frequently. Getting their colleagues sick doesn't just affect them; it could affect workplace productivity and more critically, their loved ones. Children, seniors and people living with a chronic disease are more vulnerable to the flu and are at a greater risk of hospitalisation and death. In order to protect the most susceptible, it's important to take the necessary steps to prevent the spread of the flu.

Quote:

You don't need to prove anything by going into work when you're sick. In fact, going to work with the flu only proves that you're willing to make others sick. Staying home to rest will prevent the spread of the flu to other employees and will help you on the road to recovery.

Dr. Doug Weir
President
Ontario Medical Association

Quick Facts:

• 94 per cent of Ontario employers reported that staff is more productive after taking a sick day to rest.
• The flu is highly contagious and can easily spread for five to seven days after symptoms start.
• There were 2,265 hospitalisations and 194 deaths due to flu in Ontario in the 2010/2011 flu season.
• Last year, only 25 per cent of Ontarians got the flu shot.

SOURCE: Ontario Medical Association

OMA Media Relations at 416.340.2862 or toll-free at 1.800.268.7215, ext. 286
[email protected] @OntariosDoctors