Jab done
The flu virus becomes much more common at this time of year and can cause acute symptoms that can be very painful and uncomfortable.
Last year, flu affected a large number of colleagues, which meant that in addition to the ill health many of you suffered, there was an impact on our ability to provide a reliable service to our customers.
This week, we have been advertising the availability of a free flu inoculation in colleagues’ pay slips.
How you catch flu
The flu virus is contained in the millions of tiny droplets that come out of the nose and mouth when someone who is infected coughs or sneezes.
These droplets typically hang suspended in the air for a while before landing on surfaces, where the virus can survive for up to 24 hours.
Anyone who breathes in the droplets can catch flu. You can also catch the virus by touching any surfaces that droplets have landed on and then touch your nose or mouth.
Everyday items at home and in public places can easily become contaminated with the flu virus, including food, door handles, remote controls, handrails, telephone handsets and computer keyboards. Therefore, it's important to wash your hands frequently.
You can catch flu many times, because flu viruses change regularly and your body doesn't have natural resistance to new versions. This is why there are multiple virus strains within the flu jabs, to maximise successful inoculation.
The vaccine is effective at reducing the chances of catching flu and alleviating the severity of symptoms.
To reduce the risk of spreading flu:
- wash your hands often with warm water and soap
- use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze
- bin used tissues as quickly as possible
- regularly clean surfaces such as your sorting frame / workstation, computer keyboard, telephone etc.
For further health information, please visit our Feeling First Class website www.feelingfirstclass.co.uk using the code FFC1 when first registering.
