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Glaring at my co-worker, her head resting on the desk after yet another sneeze of gunk and germ filled particles was sprayed my way, I reached for the disinfectant wipes in my drawer.

"Oh, my head hurts." She says.
"Well go home then." I replied.
"What am I going to do at home? I'm needed here." She stated, wiping her dripping nose again.

I'm left shaking my head as to why she's come into work in the first place. I'm also quite angry at the fact that no doubt, this flu will run through the office like a wild fire.

With the latest strands of colds and flu's that get considerably worse every year, people in the workplace need to be more conscience of when to stay home and when you are safe to come to work. The workplace has become one of the worst areas for flu epidemic outbreaks.

STATISTICS

7.4% of the United States population dies from flu or flu related complications as of February 2007.

Six children and nine adults died from a severe flu outbreak in Australia in 2007.

SYMPTOMS

First you need to determine whether you're displaying symptoms of cold, flu or sinus, as they can be similar. Sinus can display very similar signs of a typical cold, but flu symptoms are normally more severe compared to colds.

Colds: Minor aches and pains, stuffy nose, sneezing, watery eyes, cough, sore throat.

Flu: Fever, aches and pains, headache, fatigue and exhaustion, sore throat, wet cough and sore chest when breathing and coughing, sneezing, stuffy or wet nose.

Sinus: Similar to cold but feel an ache in upper nose and major headaches, sneezing.

If a cold or flu is left untreated, it can develop into something much worse, endangering your health severely and leading to possible hospitalization.

WHEN TO NOT GO TO WORK:

Viewing the above statistics, just how do you determine whether you should stay home or when to come into work when you may have a cold or flu? Most of us just rug up and plough on through, but this may not be the best alternative when considering how quickly a cold can develop into something worse. Also consider how quickly colds and flu reach epidemical proportions in the workplace.

Do stay home if you have developed a fever.

Do stay home if you are sneezing severely to avoid spreading air borne particles throughout the workplace. The cold and flu virus spread to others through coughs and sneezing.

Do stay home if aches and pains and the headaches associates with flu are beginning to develop. Your work will suffer and you won't feel at all like working.

Do stay home if you are suffering

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