Influenza Vaccination

We recommend influenza vaccination for all business travellers. Influenza can attack fit healthy persons. Staff with influenza lose days off work. This can cause significant inconvenience while travelling, as well as in the home office. Some influenza infected staff remain at work and infect others, so there are more staff days lost as it spreads to other staff.

Flu Fast Facts

• Influenza can be a serious disease with significant complications and restriction of day to day activities.
• Influenza vaccine is especially important in persons with medical problems or who are smokers or significantly overweight ( BMI>30 )
• Symptoms of influenza include the sudden onset of fever, muscle pain, sore throat, dry cough, headache, and tiredness which may persist for several weeks
• Flu vaccine has been shown to be very effective at preventing influenza.
• Flu vaccine does not prevent the common cold.
• Flu vaccine cannot give you the flu.
• Flu vaccine is given in the arm and takes 2 weeks to be fully protective.
• Most people have no significant problems from the vaccine.
• Discomfort, redness and swelling at the injection site is the most common side effect.
• Very Occasionally – fever, tenderness in the muscles and tiredness may occur within a few hours of vaccination and may last 1-2 days

Our doctors will usually recommend influenza vaccine as part of a travel consultation.

The 2014 Influenza vaccine is now available.

To make an appointment to come in for an influenza – call us on 07 3221 9066 or email clinic@thetraveldoctor.com.au.

Workplace flu clinics

Workplace influenza vaccination is a cost effective way to improve productivity.

Influenza vaccination has been show to mean decreased absenteeism among employees, with the income generated by employees being at work vastly outweighing the cost of vaccination.

To organise a Workplace Flu programs – call 07 3221 9066 or email corp@thetraveldoctor.com.au

For further information you may care to look at:

• Workplace Vaccination against Influenza in Malaysia: Does the Employer Benefit?
• Burden of Influenza-Like Illness and Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccination among Working Adults Aged 50-64 Years
• Cost benefit of Influenza Vaccine Program
• The importance of encouraging those who have the flu to stay home Got the ‘flu? Take a sickie!

A final thought about Occupational Health and Safety and Influenza Vaccine

It could be argued that offering an influenza vaccine is an important part of Occupational Health and Safety under the new legislation – see below.

An employer is required “to eliminate risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable. [or] if it is not reasonably practicable[,]. to minimise those risks so far as is reasonably practicable.” Section 17, Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Commonwealth).

Reasonably practicable “means that which is, or was at a particular time, reasonably able to be done. taking into account and weighing up all relevant matters including:.

• the likelihood of the hazard or the risk concerned occurring.
• the degree of harm that might result from the hazard or the risk.
• what the person concerned knows, or ought reasonably to know, about:.
• the hazard or the risk.
• ways of eliminating or minimising the risk.
• the availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk.
• after assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, the cost associated with available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, including whether the cost is grossly (emphasis added) disproportionate to the risk.” Section 18, Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Commonwealth).

Also we recommend that influenza vaccination be discussed with those responsible for your companies workplace health safety, and notes made of the conversation. ( Section 27, Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Commonwealth).

For Influenza vaccines delivered to your workplace – call 07 3221 9066 or email corp@thetraveldoctor.com.au