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Flu season kicks off 5 September 2003 More businesses than ever before will offer staff a vaccination against influenza this winter as awareness of infectious diseases remains at an all time high following the SARS outbreak. This is the prediction of Bupa Wellness which, since 1999 Bupa has protected nearly 100,000 people from flu with 20,000 vaccinated last year alone. Flu affects between four and 15 percent of adults in the UK and kills between 3,000 and 4,000 people each year. It accounts for more than 150 million lost working days at a cost of £6.75 billion to British business. Bupa’s concerns are echoed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which believes a repeat of the 1918 influenza pandemic that killed 20 million people in less than two years could strike again. The pandemic was the result of a mutated strain of flu which could develop or reappear, at any time. Bupa Wellness’ Dr Peter Mace comments on how easy it is for flu to spread through the modern office environment: “Lots of us work in close proximity in busy offices breathing the same air. If one person is coughing and sneezing it won’t be long before everyone else is too.” Dr Mace continued, “Big cities such as London, New York and Tokyo could become originators of a flu pandemic. Every day millions of people travel to and from work packed onto tubes and buses creating the perfect environment for the flu virus to spread. As we saw with the recent SARS outbreak, distance is no longer a barrier as these viruses spread around the globe in days.” The vaccination protects against both the Influenza Type A and Type B strains which the WHO predicts are going to be the biggest threat this year. Type A flu mainly affects healthy adults as opposed to Type B, which affects children. Dr Mace concludes by saying: “ It’s not just the elderly who are at risk flu can have a debilitating affect on adults too. Apart from coughing and sneezing, flu can spread quickly through sharing telephones and other office equipment. Although many people recover from the symptoms in around a week, lack of energy and strength can keep them off work for longer.” Bupa Wellness offers on-site flu vaccination programmes for companies throughout the UK. Vaccinations are also available to individuals at selected Bupa Wellness centres across London and in Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Nottingham, Southampton, Leeds and Reading. For further information please contact Bupa Wellness on 0845 300 8220 (lines are open between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday) or email fluvac@bupa.com.
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