How does CDC’s new flu guidance for businesses differ from the previous business guidance documents?
The new guidance applies to any flu virus circulating during the 2009-2010 flu season, not only 2009 H1N1 flu. It will be very hard to tell if someone who is sick has 2009 H1N1 flu or seasonal flu. The new guidance offers specific steps for business owners and managers to take to protect employees and to maintain continuity of operations. It provides guidance for the current flu conditions as well as for more severe flu conditions. This guidance also recommends that, based on current flu conditions, employees with flu-like illness stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are sweating). This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medicines (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). This is a shorter time period than the previous guidance, which recommended that sick people stay home for 7 days after symp
