Workers impacted by flu less frequently than general public: study
Washington – Workers were hospitalized by the flu less frequently than the general public during the 2009-2010 flu season, according to research (.pdf file) from NIOSH.
Researchers analyzed 3,365 hospitalization cases that occurred between Sept. 1, 2009, and April 24, 2010. They found that workers made up a lower proportion than the general population, which NIOSH said made sense because workers tend to be younger and less likely to have underlying medical conditions.
However, flu risk seemed to vary by industry sector, with the following being overrepresented:
- Transportation and warehousing
- Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
- Health care
- Accommodation and food service
The overrepresentation may be due to demographic factors and underlying health characteristics of workers, or work factors such as interaction with the public, the study stated.
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