Why vaccinate for flu?

The flu is a very contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses and is easily spread by coughing, sneezing, and even touching something infected with a flu virus. Healthy adults can spread the virus to others even before they develop symptoms. According to the Center for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov), every year in the United States a significant portion of the population gets the flu. In senior group and nursing homes, where the flu outbreak can travel like wildfire, immunization protection is critical since residents are considered high risk by the Center for Disease Control. Medicare Part B provides total compensation for recipients to be immunized every year.

Routine business operations are the perfect breeding ground for the flu and under the right circumstances, the flu can easily devastate a company. Researchers have showed that employers can save substantial money offering vaccinations, and the sooner in the flu season the shots are offered the better. By having an annual VaxPro flu shot clinic, your company will save money by decreasing absences due to sickness.

As seen in the article, "The Economic Effect of Influenza on Businesses" (article link):

• Influenza is one of the leading causes of employee absences
• Influenza can be responsible for up to 100 million lost workdays during the flu season. That equates to $7 billion in lost wages and a loss of up to $10 billion from company productivity.
• The end result of seasonal influenza is a costly disease to patients, employers and society in terms of direct and indirect medical costs and lost productivity.
• To minimize the effects of the flu on businesses, employers frequently offer onsite flu vaccinations at no or low cost to employees.
• Determining return on investment helps create a sound business case for a worksite flu program. Some objectives to measure include: rates of absenteeism, reduced productivity, direct health savings and employee engagement. Protecting the health and safety of employees, as well as safeguarding the company’s bottom line, offer ample reason to invest in a worksite program.