What do I do when an employee comes to work with flu-like illness symptoms in a community where H1N1 Flu virus is circulating?
• Notify appropriate health center or first aid personnel. • Place the employee in a room by him- or herself. • If the employee needs to go into a common area, he or she should cover coughs/sneezes with a tissue or wear a facemask if available and tolerable. • Notify the employee’s supervisor or employer. • Send the employee home as soon as possible. • Call for emergency medical services if the ill person develops any of the emergency warning signs. In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include: • Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath • Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen • Sudden dizziness • Confusion • Severe or persistent vomiting • Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough Ensure the ill employee stays home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities (fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicines).
