A note from the ZHH team:
We hope you’re all safe after Helene. Chat in the ZHH App for any questions or support related to flooding, food safety, boil water notices, or reopening after storms. We’re here to help with any of your employee health and safety needs.
Bird Flu News:
- 4 more healthcare workers reported mild respiratory symptoms after caring for the Missouri patient, bringing the possible cluster total to 8. They’ve all submitted blood samples for antibody testing to determine if it was H5N1. (CDC)
- Bird flu continues to skyrocket in California dairy herds, now up to 41, all identified in the last month. (APHIS)
Health News:
- A 10th person died in the Boar’s Head Listeria outbreak. (CDC)
- Pediatricians inadvertently turned a rare issue into a major health problem when they recommended that kids avoid exposure to peanuts until age 3. (WSJ)
- The U.S. will send one million mpox vaccines and $500 million to African countries to support their response to the outbreak. (Reuters)
- Four free COVID tests per household are available again through the US Postal Service. (USPS)
- The UN called for action on antimicrobial resistance this week. An estimated 39 million people could die from drug-resistant infections by 2050. (CIDRAP)
- Less than 1 in 5 US adults are worried about themselves or their family getting flu, RSV, or COVID this winter. Only 38% say they’ll definitely get a flu shot, and only one in four (26%) say they’ll get the updated COVID vaccine. (NFID)
- COVID reinfection increases the risk of long COVID; 2 infections doubled the risk, and three or more quadrupled it. (CIDRAP)
Mental Health & Substance Use News:
- U.S. suicides held steady in 2023 but at about the highest level in history. (AP)
- People who took Ozempic for diabetes may be at reduced risk of drug overdose. (STAT)
- 988 began routing calls based on people’s actual location, not their area code, for quicker responses. (Axios)
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or need help, call or text 988.
Best Questions:
When is it safe to reopen after a hurricane?
If you’ve closed for a hurricane, you’ll want to assess the physical safety of your actual site and of the routes your employees will take to get there. Our general rule of thumb is that you don’t want to be the only business open in your area.
Don’t open if:
- There is flooding or other physical hazards (like downed trees) at the location
- You don’t have power, ice, or running water (unless you have very strong procedures for doing so)
- Employees can’t drive or walk safely to work
Before opening:
- Ensure you have the all-clear from the city or the local health department, especially if closure was mandated or a boil water notice might be in effect.
- Test your equipment, including sinks, fridges, and freezers to ensure they’re in working order.
- Toss any food that may be spoiled. When in doubt, throw it out!
- Be sure to make it unappealing to anyone who might be looking through dumpsters in a time of need: remove it from your packaging, mix it with other garbage, etc.
- Check in on employees to make sure they’re okay and that they can safely get to work.
Sources: FDA, Steritech
Do I still need to isolate if I’m sick with COVID?
Yes, if you have symptoms, you should stay home until you’re feeling better and you haven’t had a fever for at least 24 hours. Even though it’s milder and seems to be just about everywhere these days, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be harmful, especially for older people or those with other health problems, like people fighting cancer. Long COVID is still an issue, so even if someone has mild symptoms, they could still have lingering effects. In short, this disease is weird enough and can still be severe enough for some people that it’s a neighborly thing to do to stay home while you’re most sick. Once you start to feel better, by all means head back out into the world, but consider wearing a mask around others for a few days and skip the visit to Grandma’s nursing home that week.
Source: The Guardian
Best Read:
Some employers are trying a new way of offering employee health insurance - an individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement, where employees choose their own on the individual insurance market.