Flu Spreading At Fastest Rate In Decade
New data released Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that this year’s flu season is off to the fastest start in more than a decade, and lawmakers are mining for answers.
“Last year marked the longest flu season in a decade, and now we are seeing this year’s flu season off to an alarmingly fast start,” says U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations panel (which oversees the CDC), in a
statement
Tuesday. “With this illness now spreading rapidly across the county, we want to know what our agencies are doing to protect the public’s health.”
On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations panel – which oversees the CDC – held a hearing to ensure the appropriate federal agencies have the resources they need to respond to the spread of the virus, and get an update on their ongoing efforts to develop a more effective vaccine.
The CDC’s most recent
report
shows that there is already either widespread or regional flu activity in 24 states across the country, meaning this year’s flu season, which is starting earlier than it has in 10 years, is spreading quickly. Only a few states are classified as having just “sporadic” activity.
Last year’s 21-week flu season was the longest since the federal government started tracking flu season durations more than 20 years ago. Some health experts say the unusually early start to this year’s flu season could be a sign of a more severe season to come.
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Office Worker Health Tied to Facility Cleanliness
Survey finds most employees believe their workplace could be cleaned more thoroughly.
Is your cleaning crew doing everything it can to protect the health of facility residents? Recent data from the Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom found employee sick days for minor and preventable illnesses, such as colds, have increased by 12.5 million since 2011. These illnesses can be spread through pathogens on high-touch objects found throughout the workplace.
A survey by GCC Facilities Management found that many officer workers are dissatisfied with the cleanliness of their workplaces. According to the survey:
Only 35% reported their desk was cleaned daily, either by themselves or a professional cleaner
28% said their office phone was never cleaned
31% revealed their computer keyboard was never cleaned
36% reported their computer mouse was never cleaned
39% said they were satisfied with the cleanliness of their workplace toilets
38% believed their office kitchen was clean enough
37% reported they were happy with the cleanliness of the office fridge
37% reported they were happy with the cleanliness of the office fridge
32% admitted to bringing in their own kitchenware because they did not trust the cleanliness of the office supplies.
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Superbug Threat Increasing
Research shows that the likelihood of a microbe becoming a dangerous superbug is increasing, according to the Rothamsted Group.
The United Kingdom-based scientists say laboratory studies are finding more and more evidence that one mutation could result in hypervirulent strain of bacteria, fungi and water molds that cause disease to human, as well as crops used for human consumption, such as vegetables, fruits and grains.
The number of hypervirulent strains noted by the scientists has rose from 112 in 2015 to 475 at the time of the report. Dr. Kim Hammond-Kosack, a geneticist involved in the tracking of the data says the increasing presence of hypervirulent strains suggests that new factors taking place during infections have been discovered. As a result, scientists need to carefully monitor these changes.
“In addition, we have the emergence of many new disease causing organisms, we have diseases jumping species barriers into new hosts, and we have a growing resistance to antibiotics and pesticides –– coupled with a rise in legislation banning or restricting many existing chemicals we use for control –– all of which means microbial infections are of ever growing concern to human, animal and plant welfare,” says Hammond-Kosack.
Planning and preparing for the outbreak of a disease could soon become more popular. For example, one university in New York
recently held
an exercise in which it simulated the outbreak of disease so that participants could prepare for an emergency.
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Payback: The ROI on Facility Health and Wellness Strategies
Studies increasingly show that efforts toward occupant health and wellness pay back in a variety of ways, including reduced healthcare costs and employee sick days.
When looking at a company’s overall costs, human capital, not real estate, is the largest expense. In a 30-year building life cycle, 92 percent of building costs are personnel costs. The reasons for investing in health and wellness programs vary depending on market sector, but all are directly related to the value of the building occupant. Some may see the improvement of employee productivity or reduction of absenteeism through healthy buildings as a significant return on investment. Others seek to attract and retain talent while reducing employee turnover. Some value higher leasing rates and building sales. And still others need to see the return on Wall Street.
A Harvard study states that for every dollar spent on wellness programs, medical costs are decreased by $3.27 and absenteeism falls $2.73. In a 2012 workplace study, it was found that employees with high overall “well-being” have 41 percent lower health-related costs compared with employees who are struggling, while companies that implement wellness programs experience a 28 percent reduction in employee sick time. The benefits of improved employee health and wellness are tangible: a reduction in health care cost, number of sick days, and disability claims are all measurable metrics. However, there have been numerous studies to support the claims of “softer” measures such as employee morale, energy levels at work, and improved camaraderie. According to research from Dodge Data & Analytics, 69 percent of building owners who implemented healthy building strategies showed better employee satisfaction and engagement and directly correlated this with positive job performance and firm value.
In today’s competitive job market, it is important for companies to attract and retain talent. Based on the 2014 Consumer Health Mindset Report, 52 percent of Millennials, the largest percentage of our workforce, say they prefer to work in an environment that is considered “healthy.” Approximately, 55 percent of all workers identified a workplace wellness program as instrumental in improving their overall well-being and job satisfaction.
Years ago, a green building certification could set a building apart from others in the industry. Now, developers and brokers need a new differentiator, and that’s where WELL and Fitwel come in. John Mooz, senior managing director for Hines in Houston, was quoted in The Investor as saying, “buildings with healthy features could attract a rental premium of up to 20 percent.” According to the Urban Land Institute’s “Building for Wellness: The Business Case,” developers of healthy indoor environments, that support occupant well-being, reported better than expected sales and leasing.
To address ROI from a global perspective, WellSteps published an article in January 2018 that compared the S&P 500 Index to a group of 26 companies that won the Koop Award, which is given to publicly traded companies with outstanding worksite health promotion and improvement programs. The results were studied over a 15-year period and within that time frame, the S&P had an average return of approximately 11 percent per year. The Koop Award companies, in the same timeframe, had an average return of more than 26 percent per year
There is an obvious shift in the commercial real estate market occurring as health and wellness in the built environment plays a more prominent role in the design, construction, function, and maintenance of buildings. WELL and Fitwel are supporting this shift by providing a clear, concise, measurable, and marketable framework that will have an impact on all industry professionals. Not only does this market shift benefit the building end users, but health and wellness initiatives have been shown to provide a substantial return on investment for facilities managers and landlords. The same market that embraced green building rating systems, such as LEED and the Living Building Challenge, is now adopting this new phase of sustainability — human health and well-being.
Krystal O’Hara (krystal@loraxllc.com), LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, GGP is the managing director at Lorax Partnerships, LLC. Katie Fink (katie@loraxllc.com), LEED AP O+M, WELL AP is the business development manager at the firm.
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Study Finds UV-A Disinfection No Substitute for Manual Cleaning
Ultraviolet light effective only against limited pathogens
A
new study
testing the efficacy of UV-A disinfection against several health care-acquired infections (HAIs) found while the technology kills several pathogens, it is not effective against Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff., Infection Control Today reports.
Researchers used a ceiling light fixture for the UV-A source, testing its efficacy on C. diff., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Candida auris (C. auris), as well as two kinds of virus bacteriophages, all placed on a carrier disk to represent hospital room surfaces. The researchers also tested how well the UV-A light removed contaminants from hospital equipment by placing ultrasound machines, glucometers, wheelchairs, workstations-on-wheels, as well as other items 2 meters from the light source for four hours.
After the disinfection time had passed, researchers found a significant reduction in pathogenic microorganisms from the medical equipment. Prior to UV-A disinfection, 37% of the equipment had pathogenic microorganisms, compared to 10% after. They found a modest reduction of MRSA, C. auris, and the bacteriophages on the disks, but no reduction of C. diff spores, even after 24 hours of exposure to the UV-A light. The researchers concluded that while UV-A can reduce microorganisms in health care environments, it cannot and should not be a substitute for the manual cleaning and disinfection that is required to remove hardier pathogens.
High-level disinfectants, including per acetic acid, bleach, and hydrogen peroxide blends, are the most effective agents against bacterial spores such as C. diff. Learn other tips for eliminating HAIs from hospitals and other health care facilities.
CMM Newsletter- December 11, 2019; Health and Safety Statistics and Surveys
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