Influenza
Information
Health Services

Woman with breathing mask.

At the Health Services Department, our primary concern is the health of each employee at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

If you have influenza-like illness, please remain at home for at least 24 hours after you are free of fever (100°F or greater), or signs of fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications. Sick leave or vacation leave may be used for your own illness or to care for sick family members.

Employees need to use good judgment about returning to work after an influenza-like illness. In addition to being fever-free for 24 hours, they should be able to contain their coughing and sneezing. Returning employees also should clean their hands frequently and use social distancing behaviors to the extent possible until symptoms resolve.

Unfortunately, there is no quick way to tell the difference between the seasonal flu and many other influenza-like viral illnesses, but the precautions for all of them are similar (see Centers for Disease Control (CDC): Seasonal Influenza (the Flu) - Questions & Answers for information on preventing and treating the flu, and the differences between a cold and the flu).

 

 The seasonal flu vaccine is provided at no cost to Lawrence Livermore National Security and Federal employees.
Seasonal flu in the Northern Hemisphere usually begins in the autumn of each year. It causes mild to severe illness in most cases, but can at times be fatal, particularly for those who are very young, elderly or who vulnerable because of certain chronic health conditions. Each year, in the United States, about 36,000 people die from flu-related complications. More than 90 percent of those deaths occur in people older than 65. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control (CDC, Seasonal Q&A) encourage the following higher risks groups of people to consider the seasonal flu vaccine:
  • Children aged 6 months up to 19 years
  • Pregnant women
  • People 50 years old and older
  • People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
  • People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
  • People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
    • Health care workers
    • Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
    • Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months old (these children are too young to be vaccinated).

 

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