What to do if you are sick but cannot skip work

When and how long do you need to stay at home

“If you’re so bad that you’re thinking about staying home, then definitely stay,” says Dr. Pritish K. Tosh of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, an infectious disease specialist.

Remember - this is not just about you. You may endure your flu, but it can be fatal to those around you. It is especially dangerous for pregnant women, young children and the elderly to become infected.

The causative agents of infection are spread by airborne droplets. In addition, when sneezing and coughing, we usually cover our mouth with our hand, and from our hands bacteria spreads to everything we touch: doorknobs, buttons in elevators, grocery carts in stores. The influenza virus can remain active for up to a day, depending on the surface it gets on.

Doctors advise to stay at home until the temperature has passed, or better still the next day.

Of course, you can infect others before you have symptoms yourself. But you are usually most contagious when you have a fever.

How not to infect others

Even if you don't go to work, you still have to leave the house, for example, to the pharmacy or to buy groceries. To reduce the risk of infection to others, follow these tips:

When sneezing and coughing, don't cover your mouth with your palm, but with your elbow.
Talk to people less.
Avoid physical contact, do not shake hands when greeting.
Wipe items off with a tissue after touching them.
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Wear a bandage to keep bacteria from spreading through airborne droplets.
Take medications to relieve your symptoms.