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Too Sick to Work
When Staying Home is
the Right Thing to Do
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You wake up with a pounding head, your
throat is sore and you can’t stop coughing. But you have a big
meeting at work and an in-box that’s piled high. Should you call
in sick or head to the office?
Vimal George, M.D. a
family practitioner with The Austin Diagnostic Clinic,
offers advice on how to tell if you’re too sick to work.
Contagious Colds
How many times have you wished that a co-worker who shuffled
into the office, coughing into one hand and clutching tissues in
the other, had just stayed home? “While many diseases are
contagious before symptoms even appear, colds are most
contagious two to four days after original exposure when the
virus is present in nasal fluids,” says Dr. George.
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More than 200 different viruses
are known to cause the symptoms of the common cold and they are
easily transmitted from person to person. “If you touch the hand
of an infected person or touch a hard surface they’ve touched,
like a phone, and then rub your eyes or nose, you can catch a
cold,” explains Dr. George.
The most common symptoms of a cold include a runny nose, nasal
congestion and sneezing. You may also feel tired, or have a sore
throat or a headache. After you have spent a day or two at home
and you feel well enough to be productive at work, it’s safe to
head back, says Dr. George. “Make sure you don’t have a fever,
which means you’re still contagious, wash your hands frequently
and try to avoid close contact with co-workers until your
symptoms are gone.”
Feeling Fluish?
It can be difficult to tell if you have a common cold or the
flu, which can cause severe illness and even death in some
people. Highly contagious, the flu can cause cold-like symptoms
but also can result in high fever, extreme fatigue and muscle
aches.
“The general rule is that an adult can infect others with the
flu up to five days after they first develop symptoms,” explains
Dr. George. “Anytime you cough or sneeze near another person,
you risk giving them the flu. In addition, some of your
co-workers may live with or care for elderly adults or very
young children who can be severely affected by the flu.”
The best way to avoid getting the flu is by getting a flu shot
every year. Many companies offer free or reduced-cost flu shots
to their employees. They’re also available at your doctor’s
office. Flu season runs from November to April, says Dr. George,
so if you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, it’s not to late too
do so.
“It’s important to remember that a healthy adult can infect
others one day before symptoms develop,” explains Dr. George. So
even before you know you’re sick you can be contagious. That’s
why flu shots are so important to keeping your work environment
healthy.”
Double trouble
Whether you have a cold, the flu or another illness, you may
take medication to help treat the disease or mange symptoms.
That can be double trouble, says Dr. George.
“In addition to the symptoms you already have, medications can
cause side effects such as drowsiness and dizziness and can
affect concentration,” he explains. “If your job requires a high
level of focus to avoid injury or if your inability to function
normally can harm someone else, call in sick.”
Colds and the flu aren’t the only contagious illnesses. For
example, fever, throat pain and white patches in the throat
could mean strep throat, and bright red eyes with discharge in
the corner could be pinkeye—both diseases are easily spread to
others.
“Use common sense when evaluating whether or not you should go
to the office,” says Dr. George. “If you’re feeling ill enough
that you think you need treatment, visit your doctor, who can
tell you when it’s appropriate to go back to work in a way that
is safe for you as well as your co-workers.” |
Vimal George, M.D., is a
board certified family practitioner at The Austin Diagnostic
Clinic, a multi-specialty clinic with more than 120 physicians
representing 24 medical specialties at six locations throughout
Austin and Central Texas. Visit
www.adclinic.com or call
512-901-1111.
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