Yesterday afternoon busydaughter came down with a sore throat, fever and headache while we were visiting my sister.  On the way home she started to vomit.  At one point I pulled over to the side of the road and sobbed.  It's just beginning and I'm so scared.  I have lung disease, so I am a high-risk person for H1N1.  I have not yet been vaccinated, and due to a reaction to a flu shot a few years ago, I'm not sure they will give me the H1N1.  I am scheduled to see me doctor tomorrow.  In the mean time, Busydaughter is very sick and I'm very worried.  We have all the things in place (meds, vitamins, sanitizers, masks, nasal washers, mouth wash, fluids etc. etc.) but still I am very very concerned about my daughter, her brothers and me.

I have a feeling that it is going to be a very long week for the busyfamily.

Greetings!

Oh, busymom, what a concern for you!  I hope busydaughter recovers and recoups quickly.  I hope you remain healthy and strong as you are going to be the major caregiver to all the busyfamily who become ill, as well as your concern for your own health issues.  Saying a little prayer right now.

Keep us posted as to how you are doing.

Hope, peace, joy, love ...

Thanks Beloved.  Thanks.  I'm afraid I don't have much more to say right now.  I'm scared, but trying to remember that she could just have the flu.  Crossing my fingers, and saying prayers.

Thanks

Thanks for the support.  It sounds like you are taking care.

Hey Busymom.  Thinking of you and your family today.  Sorry to hear that your daughter isn't feeling well.  Just wanted to send some good thoughts your way.

TL

Thanks Tigerlily.  She's still fevered and her throat is sore.  She asked for some gingerale and crackers though, so that's a good thing.  She is sleeping a lot, so I guess that will help too.

Thanks for your care.  This thread is helping me.  Thanks all.

busymom.  Can you take tamiflu?  Specialson was put on tamiflu the minute the first person got sick in our house.  In the end he was the ONLY person not to get sick (with what is assumed to be H1N1, though we were not formally tested). 

Perhaps that will keep you safe for the moment (while it is in your immediate environment)????

Busymom.  While I agree with jesuou I do think you need to be aware that busykid has classic H1N1 symptoms and that according to the testing done at our local hospital 90% of those presenting with flu symptoms in the ER tested positive for H1N1.

I don't want to scare you.  I simply want you to take every possible precaution!!!!!

busymom,

My wife is also high risk due to lung issues, chronic and not always well managed asthma. I am high risk due to liver disease.

You have our thoughts and we understand the fear and worry.  

We have been in a state of concern since the first wave.

We worked out contingency plans with the help of her primary physician long before a vaccine even existed. The advice we received was that should I be symptomatic, I should not rush into the ER or a doctor's office. They cannot tell based on symptoms and a swab takes time at a lab, and if it is mild you are recovered mostly by the time it is back from the lab. They advised us then not to clog the system for various reasons. It may not be H1N1 and an ER or doctors office  trip might expose me. If it were to be H1N1 it may be mild and my lungs are not an issue. We were advised that we should practice hand washing, proper cough protocol, etc... at all times and if I showed symptoms that I basically quarantine myself from her adn she was to contact her physician. Yes, we even have face masks. If she showed symptoms we were to seek medical treatment to have it confirmed and/or treated with supportive measures.

Vaccinations have yet to begin here in public clinics.

If you are concerned, I would phone a health unit office or TeleHealth or something.

I would agree with specialmom that you may be able to be placed on an anti-viral now.

Thanks specialmom and Stevie G.   You both have reasons to be concerned as well.  Such a worrisome time, and yet I think there is lots of helpful advice such as Stevie G suggested.  I have stocked up on hand sanitizers, masks (yes, me too!), soap etc. etc.  We are taking lots of precautions. 

Busydaughter is upstairs, I am downstairs with periodic checks.  While I am doing my best to avoid her germs, I'm the mom so will look after her best I can.  She understands why I can't cuddle her this time.

I am scheduled to go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon to discuss the possibility of receiving the vaccine.  I will ask about the Tamiflu then.    I'm a little nervous about being at the doctor's office for the reasons Stevie G mentioned, but it's the only way to get meds (I need more puffers etc) and to talk about the innoculation.

Specialson is still doing OK Specialmom?

 Hey Busymom,  I'm so sorry your dealing with this my prayers go out for you and your family.  I understand that it can be scary.  When you get sick in an environment like this it is hard not to let your mind wander to the worst case scenarios that surround us in the media right now.

 I'll admit that last week when I started coming down with the symptoms there was a twinge of 'oh no, not me!' and my mind wandered to the bad thoughts.  Even though that with this particular flu for the absolute majority of people acts like a regular flu it's hard not to imagine that maybe I'll or my family will be part of the statistics that no one wants to be a part of.   I found that for me at least I took all the precautions, educated myself on what symptoms to be aware of that could indicate something more serious and then just couched down and took care of myself, just like I do at any other times I've been sick.  The only difference between this and other times is that I was extra cautious or maybe conscious is a better word,  about my exposure to other people.

 It may help to hear that I now know quite a few people who all more then likely have had this flu and although some have gotten quite ill for a few days,  are recovering fine and all haven't had anywhere near the worst case scenario complications.  This includes my nephew who is six and over half of his class.  He was quite sick for a few days and yes my sister was very concerned. As his mother she couldn't help it. What she said she did was turn off the tv and avoid omg talk and worked to get her mind to the place it goes when he has been sick at other times.  It's not like he hadn't been really sick before and yes they got through it.  Worrying when your kids are sick is perfectly normal regardless of what it is.

I am worried about my 15 month old grandson. he can't have the shot because of the allergy to eggs. But we try to make the best decisions we can and they decided to leave him with other grandmother for Month of November because the daycare is filled will all kinds of bugs. We support whatever decisions that they make to care for their little one.

Think positive BusyMom and Busydaughter. I hope this will be over soon.

Jadespring, thanks for your compassion and empathy.  You named exactly what has been going through my mind.   It also helps to hear of people who are getting through this, such as your nephew and specialmom's family.  Sadly, the newspaper does not report those.

Crazyheart, sounds like your family is making good decisions around the care of your grandson.  No doubt this is a worrisome time for you as well.

Thanks for your positive energy!  It's helping!  I just got through the morning of day #1 with the help of my friends!

Hey busy mom,

I would suggest that you call the Doc asap.

Tell him in details the symptoms she has:

Fever of what exactly, what was it two hours ago...

Number of vomits

How long a headache

Can she get out of bed alone, walk alone...

What is her pulse rate ( taken at the wrist or jugular)

What are her respirations like, how many per minute, any audible sounds like grunts or rattles.  If you have a stethoscope can you hear anything gurgly or noisy in her chest.

Take a look at her as she breathes.  Do her nostrils flare?  look at her chest, when she breathes does the tissue between her ribs get sucked in?  ( Intercostal indrawing)Does the area at ther throat right at the top of her chest get sucked in ( sub sternal indrawing)

When she coughs does it sound like a bark, ?

These are the types of things docs will look at.  If you have a chest condition yourself you are probably used to looking at this.

Call and aks to speak to the doc

Then I would ask for him to call in a tamiflu to the drog store and go get it.

Tamiflu does need to be given with 48 hours I think ( I am guessing here, it is a short window though of perhaps just 2 days)

Don't wait to go in.

Most docs don't actually want the sick people to come in, but they do need quite specific symptoms

As for yourself, wash your hands every time you touch her, wahs the door knobs, the railings....

LP has some good advice.  What about getting busykid on tamiflu as well.  I know there was some thought that perhaps specialson's older brother should have been put on it asap to protect specialson.  In the end we didn't catch it in the first 48 hours (didn't think we were dealing with H1N1).

Can you call your doc's office this afternoon and at least have a telephone consult.  For tamiflu time is of the essence for it to work really effectively.

Take care.

Masking is a good idea.  We keep masks here as well.

All are well here. All the kids are back to school!

We've talked before about emails that one receives and how a lot of us don't pass them on, but this is one I will share with Wondercafe that I received

The following advice, given by Dr. Oz, makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know:
       
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.
       
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
       
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
       
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe.)
   
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine or Hydrogen Peroxide if you don't trust salt).  *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
       
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water, or hydrogen peroxide. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose softly once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
       

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
               
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Great tips!  Thank you!

I continue to try to get through to my doctor's office.  Not successful yet.  I do have an appointment tomorrow, but that will be 48 hours after first symptoms with busydaughter.

busymom, sadly you may not reach your doctor by phone. My wife tried all day one day. Their phones are ringing off the hook. People have questions and communication is not a human strong suit....

Busymom, my thoughts are with you and your family.

My DIL did receive the regular vaccine which has now been approved by the World Health Association for pregnant women which makes everyone feel a bit better, but they are still worried and of course you think 'why now"  as she is due. I just hope that the little guy hurries up and gets here and everyone is safe and well. Our son who is an elementary teacher has received the vaccine but is sick with the cold but no fever so I hope all is well.

Beloved - thanks for sharing the advice. I also has received that information and was going to post but you beat me to it. I think it is very good information to share and use.

My other DIL is very much against the vaccine and I fear for my three month granddaughter but they are staying away from public places but my son has to go to work. They are doing all they can to stay healthy.

Busymom - keep in touch and let us know how everyone is doing.

Busymom, hang in there. I like the advice that has been given so far.

My sister is just getting over the H1N1 flu. She said her headaches were the worst she had ever experienced, one full day of extreme muscle pain, low grade fever, and very tired all the time.  Her breathing was laboured. Nausea but no emesis. The worst was over in four days but two weeks later she is still fatigued and she is having a hard time eating solids as it keeps her feeling nauseous. Her son has Down's and her husband had one lung removed several years ago. They have not contracted it as of yet. She is the healthy one and she was the one that got the flu (so far)

Her son and husband are going to get the H1N1 vaccine asap.

I've heard that you are no longer contagious when you no longer have a fever.

My prayers are with you.

.

thanks for the extra tips beloved.  i have been undressing my little guy (sk) at the door as soon as he arrives home from school, put on new clothes, lysol spray shoes, wash hands and face and today we added swabbing nose with salt water and gargling with salt water.  great tips :)  i was surprised that he actually liked gargling with salt water (yuck) *lol*  the noise was "cool".

Thanks for all of your support.  She's becoming more fevered again, but that seems to happen in the evening.   Her friend dropped home-work by after school and reported that only 9 out of 25 students were at school today.  3/4 of her class is affected by ths bug!!!  Wow!

Momsfruitcake you made me smile about your son liking the sounds of gargling.  Thanks for that.  Such a boy thing!!! 

busymom,

A pre-teen we know told us they had 6 in a class of 27 most of last week. It is really rampant in communities. That sounds bad, but think of how few we hear of with bad outcomes and how few really needed medical treatment. Perspective. It is hard when your health is a concern anyways. We know it all too well.

momsfruitcake,

I love gargling. I always have. I too do some weird noises and did not give them up at age of majority. The wife always said it was the boi in me. LMAO

For those not comfortable with a neti pot, there are saline nasal irrigation products.  The one I have is call "Hydrasense" and another is "Simply Saline".  Not cheap, but the sprayers are great and do the job really well.

I'm off on vacation now, and am going to stay close to home for the most part.  I won't be encountering a lot of people, anyway.

Please know that those of you who are worried have my support and concern.  Be Well.  Sleep lots. 

My thoughts & prayers are with all of you.  So many helpful suggestions here - great thread idea busymom.  Tamiflu is a great suggestion, along with all the others.   Love LP's description of all the things to look for & report on to docs.

Excellent point StevieG made - the prevalence is really high right now, (similar school absence numbers in our neighbourhood) but actual hospitalizations & mortality are pretty low by comparison - to keep some sense of perspective.  

At my hospital, one of our infectious diseases specialists is giving updates which is quite helpful.  For info about kids & H1N1, she recommends:  http://www.sickkids.ca/ 

Sending you all some nice home-made chicken soup!

 There are a few good things about H1N1 going around.  I appreciate the masks and hand sanitizer at the health clinics.  I would like to see this all the time or at least during flu seasons!  People also seem to be more aware about washing their hands (I have always tried to get my fiance to wash his hands after he's been out, now he actually does it!) hand sanitizers are also available at more places.  Hopefully I'll get fewer colds and other illnesses because of this!  More people might even end up getting the seasonal flu vaccine since it's being offered along with H1N1.

Busymom, I hope you're daughter starts feeling better soon and the rest of you manage to stay healthy!

Busymom, what a difficult and scary time for you - and for others here as well. My thoughts are with you.

This has been an excellent and helpful discussion. One thing to remember is that everyone reacts differently, if they get this flu. I believe I have it, failing a test won't know for sure and that won't happen. But I will look into tamiflu - I am told it is paid for by gov't except for the dispensing fee - and will begin gargling. Felt better when forcing myself to drink warm liquids as much as possible - need to go for another tea soon. My BF has been sold on the "nettipot" for ages but it seems too disgusting to me. I can see there is some utility and perhaps will be sold on this thing one day - but in the interim I can try for the steps mentioned above.

The symptoms I have had, FYI: started with sore throat, then some coughing, then sneezing & runny nose for about a week, all with very tired energy & achiness. Pulled it together to get back to work, didn't feel ready but pressured to meet the obligations there. After forcing myself too hard I wore down, and when I finally could rest again, slept & slept, feeling very achy and low energy for several days. Tried to do a little yard work, believing that sometimes movement generates energy, but after that my legs were very sore, along with general soreness. There is still some congestion but I can breathe well. Advil has been my friend. The BF has been amazing (he had it first). There was another symptom: Yesterday he told me my skin looked grey in the morning - creepy but goes with my mood then and energy level. I also have low blood pressure and I think it went down even more, which I hear the fluids can help with.

He was wondering that I had gotten up and wanted to try to go to church - I always find it gives me energy if I can go there where people are loving and remind me that God is loving and good things happen.    

Busymom - I hope everything is going well today. Sending lots of positive energy and get well wishes your way.

Living Hope I'm just wondering a bit about grey skin.  But I'm no doctor!  Hope you're hanging in there and will see a doc if you need to.

And sending good wishes to Busyfamily this morning too.

TL

LivingHope, have you received an H1N1Preparedness Guide? 

It says among severity indicators pg 7 to see a health care provider right away if you have bluish or greay skin colour.

Among the "you need to see a health care provider right away"

Shortness of breath, rapid or difficult breathing

Chest pain

Bluish or grey skin colour

Bloody or colured mucus/spit

Sudden dizziness or confusion

Sever or persistent vomiting

High fever lasting more than three days

Low blood pressure

The blue-grey skin is on the list because it could signal problems related to the lungs, it is a symptom in TB, emphysema, COPD, and aspiration pneumonia (aspirating spittle or mucus or even vomit), etc....

Living hope - wow, you've had a tough run of it.

Sadly, my understanding is that tamiflu is really only effective if given in the first 48 hours of the bug and it sounds like you might be outside of that.

Hope you are feeling better soon.  Perhaps talk to a doc, the grey skin doesn't sound so good.

Living Hope - you also mentioned low blood pressure which is also on the list.

Have you had any spells of dizziness?

Has your skin colour improved, or are you short of breath?

I also hope you're feeling better soon, but it is perhaps time you contacted your doctor to make sure the virus is resolving like it should.

Thinking about busymom and busyfamily today .....

Living Hope - I hope you feel better soon. Keep us posted.

Hi All,

Thanks for continuing to post such great support & ideas on this thread.  It's helping many of us to share our concerns and experiences.

Living Hope, thanks for your post.  I would love it if you would contact Telehealth or another health agency (health unit, hospital etc.) to share your symptoms with them.  It is important to get a medical opinion about some of those symptoms I think.  Sending you prayers and positive energy to get you through this rough time.  Glad your BF is such a great support. 

Now an update of the busyfamily:

I'm excited to tell you that busydaughter is feeling well enough to be bossing her brothers around.  Good news!   She still has a sore throat and cough, but the fever has subsided.  Yay!

I had a good appointment with my GP.   We discussed the pros and cons to me getting the H1N1 shot.  There's a clinic for high risk people in my town tomorrow, but my GP was concerned about me sitting in the waiting room with people who could potentially already be sick.  Also, he felt that I should wait longer than the normally recommended period after the shot, in case of reaction.  Sooooo, he had his nurse give me the shot today and I survived!   They had the epipen loaded and ready and I didn't need it!   Yay!

Also he gave me a prescription for Tamiflu to have ready should I experience any symptoms of the flu.  And it is covered by the government which was another reason to say Yay!

So, I am feeling much more optimistic.  I realize that the chances are that one or both of my sons may get the flu yet this week and that busydad could get it too.  The doc said that it is widespread but for more people H1N1 is no worse than other flu viruses.  It's the high risk group that needs to take precaution.

Thanks again for all of your support.  Please keep this thread rolling so that we can continue to support posters such as Living Hope, pommum, Chemgal etc.  Let us know how you're all doing.

That's great Busymom. So glad you got the shot without any reaction.  Yay!!!

BusyMom, was it H1N1 that busydaughter had?

Well,

two members of my sister's family have been tested positive for H1N1 and everyone in her household has been/are sick...my sister is still getting over it (last I talked to her, she was at the 'Frog voice' stage). I took the opportunity to miss out on my nephew's birthday because of that...

I had a heck of a time trying to find out if my college was giving out Flu & H1N1 shots...I went on quite a treasure hunt to find out that it seems that no one is in charge here :3

Twas goodly that yesterday flyers were handed out and our teacher announced that the 4th year nursing students are giving out shots next week...

I hopefully my shot this Thursday.

Busymom, way to hang in there.  Your family is blessed to have you :3

I'm just finding it a truly amazing time to be alive...what with an attempt to immunize as many people in Canada and US as possible. It boggles the mind and shows what we are capable of...:3

Just a Self-writing poem,

Inannawhimsey

Busymom, myst, pommum, specialmom, StevieG, Tiger Lily (have I missed anyone? perhaps while composing my epistle here) - Thanks so much for your kind words and comments/questions/concerns. It is cheering to have the replies and warm thoughts expressed, even though it is distant over the internet.

I began to feel a little better yesterday after doing some comforting things ... including cooking a pot of dry beans from the Mennonite "More with Less" cookbook (so hearty and inexpensive and plant based, and good to learn a relatively quick method) .... It was also fun to share with this group & it helped my mood. I woke at a reasonable and early hour today and felt capable of facing most of the day. The BF found that this flu comes & goes somewhat rather than leaving permanently, and you have to give yourself time and rest when called for.  

Today I went to work for a partial day. This will lead to perhaps another discussion thread: the workplace bully. (Not sure what category to put this under.) She greeted me with something to the effect of "Why are you here?" and an accusation of infecting others. Oh, the love. At a certain point we have to decide that we are ready to return. It surprised me how quickly I had recovered to the extent that I did. I will try to take it slower this time than last, which will be a challenge given a workaholic tendency in my workplace and my own tendency to feel responsible for work that is in front of me, not guilt but a heavy duty work ethic. Not shared by workplace bullies. Awareness is the first step, and I have taken the second step of drawing the line, which will continue.

Back to symptoms, the grey skin was something that I heard about after reading the federal preparedness guide, and sharing it with the BF he told me that it applied. I wasn't looking as bad at the point that we discussed it (although not my prettiest!). I'm gorgeous again today (ha ha). I was a little dizzy in the mornings waking up when the BP was lowest, I'm guessing, and had to drop the head to wait for the blood to feed the brain cells to see right. Liquids, drink your liquids!!!!

Thanks for the tip about tamiflu, I won't bother then.

I neglected to say was very glad to hear that busydaughter is improving. The fever can be worrying but I hear it is the body's way to heal. Nice to have it subside. Sending positive thoughts & prayers for all the family.

 Busymom, I'm glad to hear your didn't react!  It's great about the Tamiflu as well.  I have private health insurance, but when I needed it the last flu season it wasn't covered at all because it wasn't listed on the Alberta formulary.  I wonder if that's changed.

 Living Hope, I'm glad you're feeling better!

I'm going to have to side with the workplace bully a little.  I'm not sure when you got sick, but there's a good chance you're still contagious.  You should either wait at least 3 days after your symptoms are gone or 7 days from when you first got sick.  Your illness might have been mild, but it might not be for someone you work with.  My doctor has told me to tell people to go home (for my sake as well as everyone else's) if someone is at work when they shouldn't be.  Of course people should be polite when doing so, which is where I don't agree with the bully!

Crazyheart- Unless a swab is done, they can't know for  sure if it's H1N1.  And they are not swabbing everybody, in fact very few I believe.   So we'll never know for sure.

Inanna Whimsey- How frustrating it was for you to have to go searching, and feel like no one was in charge.  So much confusion around this virus!   My doctor said yesterday that information changes not daily, but several times a day in the medical world.  If the medical field is confused, it's no wonder that we are struggling to know what to do as well!  I hope that you are able to get the shot on Thursday as planned.

Living Hope, I'm sorry that you were hurt by your co-workers reactions.  I'm sensing that you were thinking you were doing the right thing to muster up the strength to go into work.  However, I sense that your co-worker is probably really afraid of getting the flu, and thus reacted harshly.  So sorry that this happened.

As I understand it, it's the secondary infections that are causing the biggest problems for people.  That's why I was so concerned about the colour of your skin.  I still think it would be best to discuss your symptoms with a health professional, even by phone consultation.  Does your province have a telehealth phone number?

Both of my boys spiked fevers through the night and have awakened with a wicked cough and sore throat.  So all three busykids are home today.  I suspect that busydaughter may go back to school Thursday or Friday, but assume that the boys will be home for the remainder of the week.  I am so relieved to have had the vaccine and Tamiflu.  I realize that the vaccine is not effective right away (I'm hearing different periods for it's effectiveness) but at least I have the Tamiflu to start as soon as  I have symptoms.  That is a huge relief.

I'm off work for the rest of the week.  Crossing fingers that the boys improve in a few days like busydaughter did. 

Hang in there everybody.

Busykid Story:

All 3 kids are upstairs in my bed watching television.  I've been trying to keep my distance so have stayed downstairs.  I go upstairs for fever check, refill drinks etc.  I asked all 3 if they would like raisin toast.   Middleson said yes, the others felt they didn't want to eat anything.  So I went back downstairs to make a slice of raisin toast.  Back upstairs, and busydaughter thinks it smells good so would like a piece.  Youngest son says he doesn't feel well enough to eat.  So back down I go to make a slice of toast for busydaughter which I take upstairs once again.  I refilled juice glasses and slipped into the laundry room to put in a load. 

Youngest son yells "Mom, mom, mom!" 

I go running in. 

"Could I have a piece of raisin toast?" 

"But you just told me that you didn't want anything to eat." 

"That was then, this is now."

Oooooo it's going to be a long day!

Busymon - so glad that busydaughter is feeling better, but so sorry busyboys are now ill. At least they are feeling well enough to eat raisin toast,  LOL!

Hope your day isn't too busy,  busymom,  and try to get some rest yourself if you get the chance........  just might help you stay healthy! 

Hugs and raisin toast to all the busy gang.....pm

I will also side with the workplace bully, though they should not have had to be the bully. It should have come from the employer themselves.

My wife's employer sent an email that said "we are taking a strong stance in not having employees in the office who have symptoms" and if you are not 100% go home and return when you are symptom free.

I applaud them rarely, but they get 'er now. 

There are workplace health and safety issues. Some offices have pregnant employees and those with underlying medical conditions or loved ones at home who are. The employer must balance what is in the best interest of health and safety of ALL employees including the ones who want to drag themselves to work.

Stay home until your symptoms are gone.

What is interesting with this flu situation is that  it is usually the other way around ......with employees complaining that they are expected to work ill and feel guilty for taking their sick days.

 I'm glad that employers realize that for the health of everyone, employees should stay home until they are symptom free.