Flu Season Guidance for State Employees
Flu season can begin as early as October. Here's how you can help stop the spread of the flu and keep yourself and others healthy.
Get a flu shot
The California Department of Public Health advises the best way to prevent influenza is to get a yearly flu vaccination.
Keep yourself and others healthy
Besides getting vaccinated, the following are additional steps you can take to protect yourself and others this flu season:
Wash your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
Cover your coughs and sneezes (cough or sneeze into an arm or shoulder or into a tissue).
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet and get plenty of rest.
While sick, limit contact with others. Stay home if you have influenza symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, or runny nose) to avoid infecting others. If you have influenza, stay home until you've been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications. Do not go back to work with a fever. A temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) is a fever.
Those at highest risk - the elderly, pregnant women, infants, or those with other health conditions. Those who show flu symptoms should contact their physician immediately to get the most effective treatment. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue.
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