The cost of the flu: can you afford to lose $10.4 billion this year?

• Author: Rogers, Melinda
• Position: TIMEOUT FOR HEALTH

As a business executive, Susan Johnson is wary when flu season rolls around.

Johnson, president of Clearfield-based Futura Industries, knows all too well that an outbreak in the office can mean delays on important cases that need to move forward.

"You can't run the company if you don't have people," said Johnson, who in addition to leading Futura Industries--a major manufacturer of custom aluminum extrusions--also serves as a member of the University of Utah Hospital and Clinics Community Board of Directors.

"The seasonal flu can be hard on production, which is why our company takes the time to promote flu shots for our employees."

Johnson is hardly alone in thinking about the economic toll the impact can take on business. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks how much the flu costs employers each year in the U.S., an estimated $10.4 billion is spent on direct costs for hospitalizations and outpatient visits for adults who contract flu viruses.

Those expenses break down to $135 per day that employers pay when an employee calls in sick, according to statistics by Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. For those with jobs that don't include paid sick time, the average person loses $92 per year when they get sick. Illness from the flu costs the average person about $130 between visiting the doctor and purchasing medicine.

The troubling part of these statistics is that many of these cases--and expenses--could be prevented with a simple flu vaccine.

So how can business owners encourage employees to get a flu shot, especially workers who may be reluctant to have a dreaded needle stuck in their arm?

The key is making vaccines accessible and emphasizing the benefit of taking time out of the workday to get a shot, said Michael Magill, M.D., chair of University of Utah Health Care's Department of Family and Preventive Medicine.

"People will always come up with reasons why they won't or don't think they need a flu shot--whether it's inconvenient to schedule an appointment or they possibly think the shots are ineffective," said Magill. "Statistics show that flu shots are generally 40 to 60 percent effective in preventing the flu, which makes the vaccine a worthwhile investment. Not only will you save yourself missed work days, you'll also save yourself a lot of grief from a nasty bout with the flu."

Influenza is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system, which includes the nose...