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Vaccination program may keep employees productive through flu season

Businesses wanting a dose of preventive medicine to maintain healthy productivity levels among workers - and protect profits -should began establishing a vaccination program to protect their employees during the upcoming flu season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 5 to 20 percent of the United States population (15 to 60 million people) catches the flu. Flu experts are optimistic about the effectiveness of this year's flu vaccine as the CDC and the World Health Organization have, for the first time in 20 years, changed all three strains in the vaccination to protect against the viruses predicted to be prevalent this season.

"No business is immune to the flu - a workplace epidemic could wipe out a labor force during its busiest season and devastate a company's bottom line", says Dr. Jeffrey Greiff, founder of Flu Busters, a leading preventive healthcare provider for companies of all sizes. "Many workers won't get a flu shot because of the perceived time and energy it takes. On-site preventive services bring immunizations to employees."

Flu season starts in October and runs until March, but can continue into spring. Yearly flu vaccinations typically begin in late September and continue throughout the influenza season. Vaccine manufacturers are estimating that 143 to 146 million doses of flu vaccine will be produced for the United States during the 2008-2009 flu season.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that healthy workers who had been vaccinated against the flu reported 43 percent fewer sick days and 44 percent fewer doctor visits as a result of upper-respiratory illnesses. "With flu season only a month away, businesses need to begin employee-vaccination plans now," says Greiff. "By investing in employees' health, business can save countless dollars in lost productivity, insurance and other health care costs."

Consider a third-party immunization provider that will allow employees to be vaccinated at or near their job, instead of waiting in line at a clinic or pharmacy making health care convenient for both workers and employers. People of any age or health condition can be at risk for catching the flu, a contagious respiratory illness with symptoms that include high fever, muscle aches, headache, extreme tiredness, sore throat, cough and congestion. The flu can easily be spread - especially in the workplace - because an infected person can be contagious five days before symptoms are ever experienced.

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