Employers warned as three new flu strains head to UK

The UK is at risk of three new strains of the flu virus this winter, referred to by the World Health Organisation as A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1)-like virus; A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus; B/Florida/4/2006-like virus.

Companies looking to avoid large-scale sickness absence and major disruptions in the workplace, are being advised by Bupa, the leading health and care company, to vaccinate staff against the three new forms of flu ahead of an outbreak.

Dr Peter Mace, assistant medical director at Bupa Wellness, says: "People often downplay flu but it can be a very nasty illness and cause significant debility.

Flu is one of the major reasons for short-term sickness among UK workers, and we recommend that even individuals who have received flu vaccinations previously should still be given the new vaccine to ensure they are protected from the 3 new strains. Any previous vaccines will not be effective in protecting against the new strains."

Dr Mace continues: "Most people suffer from the flu symptoms for around a week, but it often leaves the body very weak, affecting energy levels. This in turn affects productivity at work. We are advising employers to protect their staff from these new strains of the flu virus, to avoid their staff being ill and away from work."

Clients on Bupa's flu vaccine programme, such as Barclays, are already taking steps to protect their staff. Indeed, Barclays has been giving its 50,000 employees the chance to get immunised for two years. Barclays Reward Manager Claire Walker said: "The initiative is a great way for us to help look after the health of all of our colleagues and Bupa understands our needs. They are very flexible in their operation, working around our various requirements. We continue to be impressed with the high standard of service we receive."

Each flu vaccination programme from Bupa can be individually tailored to suit the client and cause minimum disruption to the business and its staff, for instance the vaccine can be distributed either in the client's offices or in a Bupa health centre. Bupa also provides an online vaccination booking system, a telephone helpline and expert advice and literature on flu prevention.

A new feature for the programme this year will be immunisation vouchers, which Bupa is providing in conjunction with Boots. The new service, which was previously used in Barclays' 2007 programme, will mean that employees can redeem their free flu vaccine from participating Boots stores throughout October and November. This assures companies that all their staff can be immunised, even those who work in an office which might not otherwise have access to the jab.

Bupa will be offering the vaccine, effective in preventing 70% - 90% cases of adult flu, to all its members.

A survey showed that 97.7 percent of Bupa's clients would consider repeating the vaccination programme as a direct result of its 2007 success.