Is Your Property Ready For Flu Season?

It’s cold and flu season, and implementing a few simple precautionary measures can go a long way toward preventing illness, lessening absenteeism and protecting your people’s productivity.

You may find the cold, crisp air refreshing after the muggy summer heat, but low humidity is not kind to the respiratory system, accelerating the rate of bacterial infection and weakening the immune system’s ability to fight off other viruses. So what can you do to minimize your chances of succumbing to sickness? The Electronic Tenant Solutions team shared its top six tips for controlling the spread of cold and flu bugs.

1. Adhere to standard disease prevention recommendations: Use tissues and dispose of them properly. Cover your mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or cough into your upper sleeve, not your hands. Fabric traps germs and renders them inert.

Wash hands frequently with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds. Alcohol-based sanitizers work when soap and water are not available.  Avoid touching sensitive, infection-prone areas like your eyes, nose and mouth and refrain from sharing drinking glasses and eating utensils.

2. At home and in the office, routinely clean and disinfect surfaces that are high-contact areas: Regular household cleaning products contain powerful antiseptics. Always follow label instructions when using any disinfectant. If you’re using chlorine bleach, a mixture of ¼ cup of bleach and 1 gallon of cool water creates the bane of bacteria’s existence.

3. Be aware of signs of illness: Symptoms of flu include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches.

Symptoms of throat infections commonly include fever and sore throat without the stuffy nose and cough. The common cold usually does not present with fever.

4. Contact a doctor: Consult a doctor if you develop any of the above symptoms, or simply feel "off." Treatment may be available, and if given, you should follow the doctor’s directions for taking the prescribed medication.

5. Talk to your medical provider about flu vaccination for you and your family: Vaccination is the single best way to protect against the flu. It is recommended that all children receive the flu vaccine each year.

By getting the vaccine, you’re not just doing yourself a favor. Herd immunization protects your community and loved ones.

6. To prevent spreading illness to others, stay home when ill. If you (or any family member) have influenza, remain home and away from others until you are symptom-free and without a fever for at least 24 hours. If you have been diagnosed with bacterial pharyngitis (i.e. strep throat) you should remain home for at least 24 hours after starting antibiotics. This will ensure that the spread of disease is limited to the extent possible.

Health and hygiene are of paramount importance to tenants, according to the 2013 BOMA Global Office Tenant Survey. You can score satisfaction points by using Electronic Tenant Solutions’ Instant Alert and Email Notification apps to communicate with tenants and boost a property's health quality.