In sickness and in health

By ESTELLE SARNEY

Public health specialist Dr Greg Simmons has two words for people who drag themselves into work with a rotten cold or tummy bug: go home!

"It's a false economy to soldier on and spread your bugs around your colleagues," says the Auckland region's Medical Officer of Health. "You're not working at your best, and you're also infecting a lot of other people who may end up sicker than you."

Sickness has a far greater impact on your work abilities than you might think, and could make you a danger at work. Dr Ian Pogson, a director of Primary Corporate Health quotes a British study that found a mild dose of the flu can cut a person's hand-eye co-ordination and decision-making abilities by up to 50 per cent, compared with only 5 per cent if they were just over the legal alcohol limit for driving.

Winter brings more illness to workplaces not just because its colder but because people spend longer in close proximity, with doors and windows shut. This has as much, if not more, relevance in workers' homes, where they catch bugs off family members then take them to work.

The most common winter illnesses contracted at workplaces fall into two groups: upper respiratory infections such as colds, sore throats, coughs and the flu; and winter vomiting disease, a type of gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus.

Dr Simmons says this 48-hour vomiting and diarrhoea bug races through workplaces in winter because it thrives where there are many people in close proximity sharing toilets.

"We've had norovirus outbreaks in institutions such as hospitals and rest homes where everyone becomes exposed to it. Two-thirds might have had symptoms and the other third will have been infected but suffered no symptoms."

Dr Simmons says hand hygiene is vital in preventing the spread of both groups of viruses and he means washing and drying your hands adequately.

"If you don't dry your hands properly, you can actually transfer bugs more easily than if you hadn't washed in the first place."

The latest science on hand hygiene is:

* Wash vigorously with soap and water for 20 seconds (that's two verses of Happy Birthday).

* Grab two paper towels and dry your hands for 10 seconds on each one; or use two sections of a roller towel for 10 seconds each; or use an air dryer for 45 seconds.

Back to those upper respiratory illnesses. Only about 15 per cent of people contract a true flu virus each year - many people who think they have the flu simply have a bad cold. Pogson says that if you have the flu you really can't get out of bed, no matter how crucial that deadline. Both he and Simmons recommend flu vaccinations, which are effective in reducing the number of cases in workplaces.

"New Zealand hasn't had a flu epidemic in a long time and we're overdue for one," says Pogson. "Influenza is a serious illness - an epidemic would see workplaces grind to a halt, the economy affected, and people die."

It's very infectious in enclosed spaces. Simmons knows of a case in which a plane's air conditioning failed mid-flight and one passenger with the flu infected 75 other people in the space of three hours.

Simmons would like to see managers take a more active role in limiting the spread of illness at work by establishing sickness policies. A policy might state when a person should take sick leave and how to avoid passing bugs to their colleagues once they return. He suggests adapting the sickness policy template on the Food Safety Authority website, www.nzfsa.govt.nz.

Pogson says looking after your wellbeing is key to not getting sick in the first place.

"Eating well, sleeping well, exercising regularly and managing stress will do an enormous amount in ensuring your immunity is as good as it gets.

"We're exposed to viruses all day, every day - it's when we're run down that we're more susceptible."

Common winter bugs

Upper respiratory infections

* How passed: Droplets in air from sneezing and coughing.

* When you should stay home: First two days when symptoms are worst.

* Once back at work: Throw tissues in bin away from colleagues, cough behind hand, stand at least 2m away from colleagues when talking to them, wash and dry hands scrupulously.

* Recovery time: About a week.

* Remedies: Symptomatic relief, fluids, rest.

Winter vomiting disease

* How passed: Through traces of vomit or faeces.

* When you should stay home: As soon as you feel nauseous, preferably before you vomit. Don't return until vomiting and diarrhoea stopped.

* At home and once back at work: Be scrupulous about hand washing and drying.

* Recovery time: Usually 48 hours.

* Remedies: Sweet fluids, such as lemonade. Small amounts of plain food such as rice, plain toast, crackers.