Johannesburg - Productivity SA is urging companies to continue allowing staff with flu to rest and to avoid conditions that would expose colleagues to the virus.
The strains of flu in circulation, A(H1N1) pdm09, A(H3N2) and influenza B have seen production levels fall by 10 to 12 percent this winter through employees being booked off sick.
Sello Mosai, an executive manager in the value chains and competitiveness division, told the Saturday Star that each infected employee missed up to six days of work and needed up to two weeks to recover to a level where they could function optimally.
“Planning for the season helps to mitigate the effects of flu in winter on productivity. Encourage the workers to take proper medication and consume a balanced diet,” Mosai said.
The National Institute of Communicable Diseases recently said the influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 strain, sometimes referred to as swine flu, behaved like any other seasonal strain.
Patients found to have this strain needed to be treated like any other seasonal influenza case.
No specific public health interventions were recommended for this strain.
Pregnant women, asthmatics and HIV patients are susceptible to the virus.
“We expect to see several deaths related to influenza each year,” institute spokesman Nombuso Shabalala said.
“Individuals in the risk groups described would be at increased risk of influenza-associated death.”
Shabalala advised those who had flu to remain in bed, drink plenty of fluids, treat the symptoms with the relevant medication, and not exercise for several weeks after recovery.
Saturday Star