How can I take responsibility for my health when people keep coming to work sick?

[SoDoneIn]

I am mid 40s with a rheumatic auto immune disease for which I’m taking immunosuppressant medications. I recently had a flare up so was also put on prednisolone to get it under control.

The problem is I keep getting infections now. It’s been one after the other this past couple of weeks. I’m on my third set of antibiotics for my third different infection. I stop the biologics while on antibiotics to allow myself the chance to recover.

The problem is I have no option but to keep going with life. I have young children in school, a partner who does front line shift work who can’t just walk away to look after me and the kids. and people constantly coming into work sick. (Sedentary non public facing )

I’m forever reading on mumsnet how it is my own responsibility to keep myself safe from sick people who need to go to work and have a right to be out in public shedding their diseases because covid is over now and so it’s free for all for sickness. But how do I do this when I can’t go to work without people making me sick and my kids forever coming home with sickness because people send their kids in to school sick now too?

I’m genuinely scared at how quickly things have got bad and am aware they could get worse still but I feel so powerless to protect myself. Masks alone don’t do it. What can I do to protect myself more short of quitting work, becoming a hermit and leaving my family?

Tonal” the people that say they can’t do anything else but turn up at work when they are ill (which I’m actually not arguing about. I get that)

Can you explain why you’re not wearing a mask to stop other people from catching whatever you have? The same way that you thoroughly wash your hands if you know you have a stomach bug?

Ok so that’s the droplet theory.

Theory that has been proven wrong many years ago now.
Roughly viruses that affect airways are in the air. Not in droplets at all(that fall down) but more like a smoke.
That’s why if your air system recycle air from one room to the next (and many do), you can catch the cold someone had two stairs below (very nice studies around that with Covid too).

Stomach bug, D&V yes are transmitted through surfaces, hence the importance if hard washing and cleaning surfaces. But that’s not what the OP is talking about

I have an auto immune disease and when I pick up a virus or bug it wipes me out and is horrendous.

Yet again last year between September and Jan this year I've had so many viral things and colds throat infections etc

I'm going to start taking vit c and d and zinc from august onwards this year.
I'm also masking myself up in winter as I work in very close proximity to people in a small space

I've put my foot down and do tell clients not to come if they have even a cold because I can guarantee I will get it and then I have to take time off as self employed and it messes up my system.

Mask up take extra vits and constantly use sanitizer that's my advice

@VillageOnSmile and the infection control measures remain the same.

Similar health situation although I have less exposure to other people.m (DP has more).

We use some sprays for nose and throat called Norizite in addition to masking or when masking isn’t possible (dentist for example).

We also do nasal and throat rinses with either Xlear or saline spray if we think it’s needed.

We have air filter units at home in case one of us does pick up something.

I know. Madness isn't it, ignoring the airborne element.

No it does not.

Infection control for viruses found in the air should be about clean air. Not clean surfaces.
Why would you clean surfaces when it’s not where you find said viruses??

Just look at Parliament. They’ve redone the whole of the air system to filter the air. To have clean air. Because THAT is infection control for air borne viruses. Not cleaning* hands!!

(Same measures btw at Davos, Buckingham palace, defence ministry. But also similar measures taken by Taylor Swift or Adele. Clean air is been used. But not for the plebs)

@VillageOnSmile
Ok shall we all stop sneezing and coughing in to tissues and just spray viruses around because the airs going to be filtered, or shall we actually make an attempt to contain them and wash our hands after we've used said tissue.

Expecting people to pay for and use tissues, even though it's more a benefit to others goes against the current, enforced trend of saying we shouldn't give the tiniest of shits about onward transmission of our illnesses. It's time it stopped - if others are bothered by a person's snot or sneezes, let those others carry tissues to try to catch the snot and sneezes.

No you wear a mask!!

Not hard, even a surgical one, if not as effective would help.

Just a mask.

Nothing that stops you from working. Nothing that stops from living your life. Just a mask ,like many other people do everyday because of their job (im thinking people working in dusty environment fir example).
Just fur a few days. Maybe a week.

Is it much harder than using alcohol gel every 5 mins?

Who mentioned alcohol gel?!

Anyway. I will continue washing my hands properly, using disposable tissues and disposing of them appropriately.

I won't be coughing and sneezing on anyone and I will avoid mixing unnecessarily with anyone if I'm unwell.

Just as I have done for the last 60 years.

Do you get full sick pay from day one at your work? Will people have sickness absence triggers from covid etc? Is there any redundancy or restructuring happening? If they miss work, given wfh is hard, are their resources to catch up relatively comfortably or for there to be cover? In many sectors, people are going in as the consequences of not doing so are harsh.

And you still won’t wear a MASK that would protect the people around from your sneezing and breathing

You are totally deluded if you think that whatever you are doing with tissues and washing hands is enough.

@VillageOnSmile surgical mask? You mean an FFP3?
Not as effective as what?

They're not to be taken when an infection is present

Ok let’s spell it out.

A surgical mask gives the lowest protection both the wearer and people around them.
But it’s loose, easy to wear.
FPP2 and FPP3 give a much higher protection to the wearer and people around. They are actually respirators and have been used for years, both to protect from viruses but also from smoke, dust etc etc Thats why in the US, they’ve advised people to wear them when there was so many wild fires. And why they are used in dusty environment/jobs.

Ideally, FPP3 should be fit tested to be sure they fit well. This is quite easy to do at home (the kit is basically a very strong smelling substance) but it’s still very good to use and effective without the fit test.
And yes FFP3 are better than FFP2.

So what I was saying was please wear a mask, as a FPP2 or 3 but even a surgical mask will still be making a big difference if you can’t face wearing the better masks.

Any other question?

@VillageOnSmile

I would wear a FFP3 to protect myself in a clinical setting. Worn properly

I wouldn't wear one to protect others from a cough or a cold. If I wore it to cough and sneeze in it would soon become useless (and infected). Instead I would practice good hand hygiene, disposable tissues and keep myself away from others. Especially the vulnerable.

Basic principles of infection control.

Any other questions?

You’re on another planet if you think most people are going to source FFP3 masks, fit test them at home and wear them whenever they have a cold or minor virus. Besides, lots of people can have a virus and be asymptomatic and many illnesses are most infectious before symptoms even develop. For someone who is immunocompromised I can see why wearing a FFP3 mask when out of the house is a good idea, but I don’t think the majority of the population are going to start wearing them even if they have a minor illness. I certainly wouldn’t, if I’m well enough to go out of bed and go to work I’m not faffing around with a mask, if I’m too unwell to get out of bed and work then I won’t be leaving the house to need a mask anyway.

Indeed @MolkosTeenageAngst . Masks are designed to protect the wearer. Something @VillageOnSmile seems confused by.

But do you get paid sick leave at your work? If not, you can’t blame your colleagues for coming in. You need to lobby your employer for sick pay in full, so people can take proper sick leave. Or ask for adjustments like WFH? And it’s well known kids spread germs - that was a choice you made.

I’m not confused at all.

Masks protect both the wearer and the peole around.
Fir best protection, its best for both people to wear a mask.

@MolkosTeenageAngst i never said that people should all be wearing an FPP3 though.

I said FFP2 or 3 are best but even a surgical mask can make a difference.
I also said that being fit tested was best but not essential.

Are you saying that even using a surgical mask that is too much to ask?
Could you explain why?

Can you wear a mask and gloves?

Im autistic, have adhd and had a traumatic sexual assault in which my face was covered by a pillow and I find wearing a mask uncomfortable. I am an SEN teacher who primarily teaches deaf and autistic children who would really struggle if I went to work in a mask, some wouldn’t recognise me and some wouldn’t be able to read my lips/ facial expressions etc which are essential to communication.

I recognise those issues are unique to me but even if none of the above was true I wouldn’t wear a mask, illnesses are part of life and I don’t think I need to go to extreme measures like wearing a mask when I have a minor illness and realistically they would be very impractical with a cough/ cold etc as it would need to be removed repeatedly for coughing/ sneezing/ blowing noses etc. That would mean removing the mask, blowing the nose, returning the mask etc repeatedly which I think would probably increase infection risk as it means constantly touching the infected mask with hands and then likely touching other things. Better to just cough/ sneeze into a tissue which is immediately binned and not hanging around on your face. Anyway as said above, a lot of illnesses are asymptomatic or most infectious before symptoms occur anyway so I’m not sure I believe somebody wearing a mask with a minor illness is really going to protect others that much. If I was too ill to leave the house I’d stay home but a cough/ cold isn’t going to stop me carrying on as normal, I’d have to take most of the winter off work if that was the case!

@MolkosTeenageAngst
You're completely correct