New flu season begins: Any Marshall Browning Hospital employee who has not been vaccinated will be wearing a medical mask during the flu season

Influenza, or "The Flu", is a viral infection that can cause serious illness or even death. Fortunately, death is not as common an occurrence now as it was 100 years ago. There are some simple steps to take in preventing or limiting the spread of the flu virus, according to Sue Dixon, RN, Infection Control/Education Coordinator at Marshall Browning Hospital.

The number one precaution is hand hygiene. Wash your hands and use alcohol based hand-sanitizer appropriately. Get the flu vaccine. We vaccinate for measles, mumps, and varicella (chickenpox and shingles) which are all viruses, why not the flu?

Dixon said people with viral infections don't develop symptoms for about a week. For two or three days before they get sick, the infected people are already producing the virus and "shedding" it into their surroundings. So the person you talked to at the store, or at church, or at the gas station may "get sick" (develop symptoms) in a day or two - but they are already sharing the virus with the people they come in contact with. For this reason, wearing a simple mask is another way to limit spread of the flu virus. This is especially important for people who can't or don't get the flu vaccine.

There are reasons why some people do not get the flu vaccine. Some people have a medical condition such as a history of Guillen-Barre Syndrome that makes it unsafe for them. Others have a religious objection. Still others have other personal reasons for not getting the vaccine. Some healthcare facilities choose to make the vaccine a condition of employment (get it or you can't work). Others choose to offer the option of wearing a mask. Marshall Browning Hospital has chosen the masking option. Any employee who has not received the flu vaccine will wear a mask while at work. It does not mean they are sick. This is to protect them from exposure to the flu while they are at work.

We are also asking our patients, visitors, and the general public to be considerate of those around them. If you have respiratory symptoms such as coughing or sneezing, if you are achy or have a fever - please don't visit someone who is ill, in the hospital, or in a nursing home in person. Call them. Ill people have a lower immunity and can get other illnesses which will make them even sicker. If you must visit in person, wear a mask. Marshall Browning Hospital has a stand in the lobby that has masks and hand sanitizer for public use. If you are around someone with those symptoms who won't or can't wear a mask then you should mask even if you had the flu vaccine. It is possible they have something other than the flu covered by the vaccine.

This flu season, protect your loved ones, protect yourselves, protect your community. Wash your hands. Use hand sanitizer. Get the flu vaccine, and if you can't then wear a mask if there is a chance of being exposed to an infection.