If your DH has swine flu, would you still go to work?

[juneping]

mod...i am not sure if i want to put this into health forum..b/c it's not really about the health but about dealing with work situation. but feel free to move...

today i just found out a coworker's husband got swine flu yesterday or within a day or two. she wanted to come into work for whatever reason and she called in and our bosses let her come in.
we are a small office of about 25 people and we do not have HR department or any department to deal with this issue.
the whole thing has been kept hush hush and i found out when i was chit chatting with the phone ladies. i am really upset b/c the whole thing is kept from the office and our bosses just put the health of the rest at risk without us knowing anything. if i didn't talk to the lady i wouldn't have known. and the most upsetting thing is the the coworker with a swine flu husband does not have the decency to not come in just in case. our office is slow and there's nothing need for her to come in to finish anyway.

i am just soooo upset right now.

anything i can do?? can i say something to our bosses? is it legal to let some potential swine flu virus carrier come into work? ...ugh...

 

[gillianna]

Just because her husband has the swine flu does not mean she will get it. My neighbor's son had it then his sister and parents all got it. My other neighbor's daughter got it and her mom had a slight cold but the rest of the family-3 boys, dad and grandparents on vacation did not get it. My daughter had/has it but my son, husband and I are all well.

I would take some lysol spray and spray around your office and things like the phones and door handles. I don't think any business can keep a person home just because a family member is sick and they show no symptoms. My daughter is back at school-but she has been fever free since Saturday and fever free for 24 hours with no medication was was the OK point to go back to school. The school nurse checked her out before she was allowed in class and she is fine. She went on tamiflu the same day she started to feel sick so I do think early detection and the tamiflu made things work out OK for us.

I wish you the best. I think if your coworker gets sick it will be a few days after her husband. Keep your distance.

 

[juneping]

^^but i've heard the protocol is quarantined for 10 days....

 

[itsonly4me]

the swine flu really isnt much worse than the regular flu. People are just over reacting. Unless you are elderly or are high risk, thre is really no reason to worry.

 

[juneping]

i think b/c my doc told me it's fatal to kids and pregnant women...that's why i was so alarmed. b/c i know a lot of ppl died in HK, it's called SARS...so i am just super conscious. i am not sure if this one is less aggressive than the one in HK (SARS virus)...i hope i am being over-reacting...

 

[plain jane doe]

Swine flu as not as bad as the hysteria would make it seem. It is worse than usual flu, and in my area you are only allowed the vaccine if you are a healthcare worker or aged 13-24. My understanding is it actually does not affect kids and older people that badly.

In any case, I think it would be extreme to expect anyone with exposure to stay home. At some point it is hard to get away from everyone with swine flu. It would be nice if the company would let her work from home. I guess ideally she should stay home, but I sympathize with her, if she doesn't have the time off it can be a hardship to be so cautious.

I don't think you are likely to get sick. Stay six feet away!

 

[flowerbobon]

i think b/c my doc told me it's fatal to kids and pregnant women...that's why i was so alarmed. b/c i know a lot of ppl died in HK, it's called SARS...so i am just super conscious. i am not sure if this one is less aggressive than the one in HK (SARS virus)...i hope i am being over-reacting...

I think SARS is different from swine flu. swine flu is called H1N1 in other countries. But I'm not sure. And yes a lot of people died because of swine flu.it spread easily so I think she should stay home until her husband recover.back in my high school, my teacher's son got SARS he didn't come to school about a week so that it will not affect him and other students.

 

[Sternchen]

SARS is not H1N1.

You're overreacting.

 

[sbelle]

I don't think your co-worker should stay home unless she is having symptons.

It is possible to not get H1N1 and live in the house with someone who has it. My dd had it in September and I got it, but dh and my other dd did not. I have a friend whose dd got it at the same time my dd did. My friend got it, but her DH and DS did not.

I think you just need to take basic precautions and not overreact.

 

[flowerbobon]

or you can suggest your boss to put a sign or a poster on how to avoid swine flu like in my college where they put a poster of avoiding swine flu or any other influenza at the board such as cover the mouth during sneezing or coughing, wash hands with antibacterial soap after using the toilet.

 

[juneping]

thanks ladies.
i feel calmer now. but i still don't feel right about this. not asking her to stay home for a week..but at least a couple of days to make sure she doesn't have the symptoms..i just think when the news and all that making it a big deal...i just wouldn't think swine flu = regular flu.
i'll just take vit-C every other hour then....sigh.....

 

[Vlad]

thanks ladies.
i feel calmer now. but i still don't feel right about this. not asking her to stay home for a week..but at least a couple of days to make sure she doesn't have the symptoms..i just think when the news and all that making it a big deal...i just wouldn't think swine flu = regular flu.
i'll just take vit-C every other hour then....sigh.....

Don't overdo it on the Vitamin C, that can be harmful too. I think 1,000mg is plenty sufficient per day.

I am not singling you out, because you are certainly not the only one worrying about H1N1, but media-induced panic about the subject makes me want to kick general media in its virtual balls. I am avoiding newscasts the best I can, because the morons don't do anything but cause panic and uncertainty in people. I don't give a s**t that someone croaked from swine flu, it happens with the regular flu thousands of times a year and nobody gives a rat's behind about it. But when it's the swine flu, it's news-worthy?

Gimme a break. Heck, if your co-worker gets it, so be it. She'll feel ill, she'll stay home.

We met with our intern three weeks ago for lunch in NYC, only to find out that she was diagnosed with H1N1 later THAT day (or maybe the next day). Guess what, neither Megs, nor I got it.

Anna's fine, alive and kicking ass too.

Quit panicking over nothing. Spend your energy on stuff that's more fun.

 

[juneping]

thanks vlad.

she actually didn't come in today..thank God...i did worry for nothing and also after reading what you said.
why the F the media want to make ppl panic???!!

 

[surferchick2]

I wouldn't call in sick because a family member had swine flu, unless I could put in for family leave benefits to take care of him/her. My dh might have had it and was misdiagnosed... Either way, he had some bronchial infection they couldn't figure out or pneumonia that can be just as bad. I went to work and wouldn't consider skipping out if it wasn't me with the symptoms, as I wouldn't expect any of my co-workers to. I'm just not that paranoid.

 

[bagnshoofetish]

because I work with animals I personally would have to stay home. but no matter what Juney, just wash your hands every chance you get, don't touch your face and drink lots of water. I do all that anyway no matter what! don't let the heightened frenzy about this flu psych you out. If you are a healthy person and take all the precautions, you don't have much to worry about.