Influenza, or the common cold, is behind 47 percent of all employee visits to the doctor, with the attendant costs in medical expenses, medical leave, and loss of productivity: this was the finding of a recently released study by Malaysia startup HealthMetrics. In glaring comparison, the second most common ailment, fever, doesn’t even come close at 14 percent.

There are several possible reasons for why the flu makes up such a prominent proportion of illnesses leading to medical consultation. Firstly, it is significantly more contagious than the other ailments mentioned by survey respondents, such as fever, gastroenteritis, and migraine. In the majority of sufferers, influenza manifests mainly as upper respiratory tract infections with the well-known symptoms of cough and running nose, both of which spread the flu virus far and wide. Secondly, the flu virus is hardy: it can survive on surfaces for as long as 24 hours. And most tellingly, many people tend to shrug it off and go about their daily activities without taking precautions to prevent spreading it to others.

The HealthMetrics survey also found that over a 12-month period, the average employee will take 2.17 days of medical leave due to influenza, and the average clinic visit for influenza will cost companies US$17.88 (RM74.19).

HealthMetrics CEO Alvin Yuan, who is a pharmacist by training, suggested that companies should look into getting their employees vaccinated against the flu before they actually become ill, simply because the flu immunization takes several weeks to take effect and only works on people who are not already suffering from the virus.

“Employees are the lifeblood of an organization as they are important pillars which will determine an organization’s success, growth and sustainability. As flu season is upon us, it is important for companies to take care of their indispensable workforce through strategically crafted wellness programs,” he said.