Influenza-like illness and presenteeism among school employees

Marie A de Perio; Douglas M Wiegand; Scott E Brueck

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2013.11.012

Influenza-like illness and presenteeism among school employees

Am J Infect Control. 2014 Apr;42(4):450-2. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2013.11.012.

Authors

Marie A de Perio¹, Douglas M Wiegand², Scott E Brueck²

Affiliations

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH. Electronic address: mdeperio@cdc.gov.
² Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH.

Abstract

We determined the prevalence of influenza-like illness (ILI) among employees of a suburban Ohio school district. In a survey of 412 of 841 employees (49%), 120 (29%) reported ILI symptoms during the school year, and 92 (77%) reported working while ill. Age ≥50 years and asthma were significantly associated with reporting of ILI symptoms. Encouraging school employees to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine and to stay home when ill should be part of a comprehensive influenza prevention strategy.

Keywords: ILI; Teachers.

Published by Mosby, Inc.

MeSH terms

Absenteeism*
Adult
Aged
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Influenza, Human / epidemiology*
Male
Middle Aged
Ohio / epidemiology
Schools*
Suburban Population
Workforce
Young Adult

Grants and funding

CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States