The neck hurts, the head thumps and the nose flows – should you take sick leave or go to work?
Doctor Marcus Olausson works out all the question marks.
– Society would stop if everyone is home because you are a little sniffy, says Doctor Marcus to TV4 News.
It is flu times and the Public Health Authority describes the spread of infection as “quite strong”. More and more people wake up sniffy and ask the question: Is it time to stay home or should I go to work?
Often, the symptoms depend on various circulating viral diseases, including flu, cold and vomiting. However, the guidelines differ when staying at home depending on viruses.
In case of stomach ailment, children should be home two days after the last vomiting or diarrhea. But for adults it is enough to be vomit -free for a day before you can go back to work, says Dr. Marcus Olausson.
– There is relatively much vomiting right now. It is probably the infection where there are most strict guidelines. It’s okay to go back earlier for adults because they are better at managing hand hygiene, the risk of infecting someone therefore becomes very small, he says.
Snuvig? – go to work
When it comes to colds, the guidelines are increasingly looser. During Covid-19, everyone would stay home at the slightest symptoms, but now the advice looks different.
– Now you can work when you are a little sick. If you are a little sniffy you go to work, if you do not work with the elderly of course.
If, on the other hand, you have a fever or feel ill and hungry, you should stay at home. Mainly so as not to infect others, but also not to get worse yourself – even though the risk is small.
– If you have a fever, you should not work. But if you have a job where you can work from home, it is preferred, if you are not too sick.
Influenza: Then you should stay at home
The flu can be difficult to distinguish from cold symptoms. Some suffer more mild and then you can go to work. If you feel ill, the same applies to a regular cold.
– Feeling really sick you should stay home until you are fever -free and preferably another day, says Dr. Marcus.
As a rule, viruses infect a few days before a few days after the sick period. However, if you have good hand hygiene, there should be no major danger.
– There are no really clear thresholds, but you have to determine depending on the symptoms.