Cold and flu season is here so it’s a good time for wellness training on these perennial health issues. In today’s Advisor, we give you an overview of these two conditions.
Colds are spread more readily when people are indoors, where the chances increase for physical contact with contaminated surfaces and inhalation of airborne viral particles. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people are most contagious:
- For colds, the first 2 to 3 days after infection, and usually not contagious at all by day 10
- For flu, almost immediately after infection (a day before symptoms develop) and for 5 days after symptoms appear
The primary pathways to infection are:
- Eyes and nose. Cold viruses are very hardy; they can survive up to 3 hours on surfaces. A highly common pathway to infection is touching an infected surface with the hands, then touching the nose or rubbing the eyes. The virus enters the tear ducts or sinuses and infects the nasal passage. Flu viruses can also spread via this pathway.
- Inhalation. Breathing in viral particles is the most common pathway for flu infection. It is also another pathway for cold viruses when infected airborne mucus droplets are inhaled into the nose or throat.
We’ve already mentioned that colds and flu spread most easily where people congregate indoors. Here are a few more ideal conditions for the spread of these illnesses:
- The most common cold-causing viruses survive better when humidity is low, especially during cold weather.
- Dry air makes the lining of the nose drier and probably more vulnerable to viral infection.
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Research suggests that psychological stress and allergic diseases that affect the nose or throat may affect the chances of getting infected by a cold virus. There is no scientific evidence that exercise or diet affect the chances of getting a cold.
Cold and Flu Prevention
There is no failsafe preventive measure in a work environment that will guarantee a person will not get a cold or flu. But two measures stand out as the best defense, regardless of cost or effort:
- Wash hands with soap often for at least 20 seconds. Use a hand sanitizer between washes. “Often” means every time hands have contacted a potentially contaminated surface, such as:
—Hands or face of others (a handshake is a significant infection pathway)
—Doorknob or handle (including microwave, refrigerator, and material-handling equipment)
—Copier machine buttons or parts
—Coffee pot handle
—Elevator button
—Bathroom fixture
—Countertop
—Food or food container handled by others
—Books and office materials used by others
—Phone used by others
—Hand or power tool used by others - Avoid close contact with anyone that has a cold or flu.
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November 11 to 17 is National Get Smart About Antibiotics Week. Visit the CDC website for more information: www.cdc.gov/getsmart/index.html.
Why It Matters
- According to the Food and Drug Administration, employers annually lose about 15 million workdays to the common cold.
- It is the leading cause of lost workdays, rivaling the total 17.6 million lost work- days for all injuries and illnesses reported to federal OSHA in one recent year.
- According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), people in the United States suffer 1 billion colds per year. Each person endures about four colds annually.
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