Is swine flu still kicking about?

[CersaiLannisterBaratheon]

A member of staff called in sick with swine flu today.

Reckons she has swine flu, says it's doing the rounds at her university.

Is this likely? She has previous and I could do with being able to sack her, but I don't want to if she might be genuinely sick.

Wouldn't it be in the news if swine flu was back? Or was it just majorly over-hyped a few years ago?

Yes swine flu is still with us, just had an outbreak at our local hospital and had to close a children's ward.

And... would people 'know' about this? As in, can it be doing the rounds at her uni, as she claims? Or would this be 'news'?

You can't sack anyone for being sick. Regardless of what it is/ isn't

How does she know she has swine flu? I was diagnosed with it, back when it was doing the rounds, but the GP at the time said they'd stopped testing for it after the initial few months, so he could only officially say flu. I'm paraphrasing, someone with actual medical experience might have better knowledge of this.

They are all still about.

She will able to provide a sick note if you doubt her that much. Just because it's not in the news doesn't mean it's gone away and it wasn't overhyped.

Why do you want to sack her? Why not just make her redundadnt if she's that bad. That way she still have the option of signing on if she hasn't found work. If you sack her, you'll leave her right in it.

I've just been reading about it on the NHS website. The pandemic is officially over but it is still lurking about enough that the vaccination is included as part of this years flu jab.

It would probably be news tbh our local outbreak was in the local and national news, think it has to be as it's in the interest of public health, she's probably got a cold!

*redundant

No idea what happened there. I think I'm tired.

Yes, it's still around (and the seasonal flu jab contained a component against it).

You can get this strain quite mildly. But full on flu will knock you off your feet completely for 1-3 weeks.

Ask her for a doctors note if she's been off for more than 7 days

I can't make her redundant, as her job is not redundant. I would need to replace her.

I can sack her for being sick, as she has called in sick 4 times in the past month now, and didn't give the specified notice on 3 of those occasions. It constitutes gross misconduct - however if she genuinely could have had swine flu then I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

I had a flu job this year and they didn't mention swine flu? Did I get that immunisation as well?

She is only part time, so was only off for 2 days but isn't due back in until the weekend.

Yes Swine Flu is still around.

www.swineflunewsportal.com/swine-flu-news-uk.asp

Protection against swine flu is currently included in the flu jab available at supermarkets etc.

Smilesandpiles you can't use redundancy as an alternative to disciplinary measures/firing someone!

You can only make someone redundant if you can prove their role no longer exists.

Sorry, I misunderstood.

Swine flu is just included in the regular flu jab now.

It was only a big threat in its early days when it emerged 'off season' (IYSWIM) spread in several continents simultaneously, and was noted as having a high rate of serious complications. I think (and eat hat if better informed MNteers say I've completely misrepresented) that the initial disease surveillance concentrated on hospitalised cases, which had quite a high death rate, not total number of cases in the whole community. If swine fl makes you ill enough to land you in hospital, the your outlook is quite poor. But the huge majority of those getting it will not find it worse than another recent strain.

So, I should believe her.

There's nothing on that website about or town or her uni.

Would it make a difference to you whether she had swine flu or 'regular' flu? She could just be incorrectly assuming it's swine flu on the basis of being really poorly rather than it being an 'official' outbreak.

Possibly, yes.

Because if she genuinely had any kind of flu, I would expect her to be basically bedridden. Otherwise, it's just a cold.

She said 'swine flu is doing the rounds and I don't feel well' - I just want to know if she is lying, or could be telling the truth.

I assumed it was a blatant lie as we'd know if there was a swine flu epidemic at the local university. But, evidently not.

Don't make it someone else's worst day ever CLB - ask her for a sick note. That's all you really need to know. It might be something really personal anyway and the flu is just a smokescreen to save embarrassment.

It wasnae a pandemic were it?

Well, the sick note issue is that she will be back this weekend. So, she wasn't off for more than 7 days, and you self-certify for 7 days.

If it is personal, I will give her a chance to explain, but I won't be lied to. Even if she just says 'it is personal', but she's had some very issues in the past and not been shy to share those.