Office workers get vaccinated against respiratory diseases

The number of office workers vaccinated against respiratory diseases has increased by 20% in the past 3 months, to ensure work efficiency.

Ngoc An, 24 years old, working in an office in Binh Duong , said she had never had a high fever or minor illnesses before. When she contracted Covid-19 twice, she only had a normal cough and fever, with very mild symptoms.

Therefore, An thought that her body was always healthy and did not need to be prevented from getting sick. However, after the team building trip, An had a high fever and her whole body ached. The fever-reducing medicine was not effective, and afterwards An felt chills, dizziness, nausea, and difficulty breathing. The doctor diagnosed her with influenza A, acute pneumonia caused by influenza, and ordered her to be hospitalized. A month later, An got a flu vaccine as advised by the doctor, to prevent lung disease.

"I felt like the air was stuck in my chest and I felt exhausted. At that time, the doctor said that getting a flu vaccine would prevent that from happening again, so I got the vaccine. Since then, I have not had the flu, a cold, or a fever," An said.

Mr. Huynh Van Hoang (27 years old, employee of a mechanical company, Ho Chi Minh City), said that he has sinusitis, and if a co-worker sneezes, he can catch the flu. During the changing seasons, the disease becomes more severe, causing him to have a fever at night, accompanied by a sore throat and a cough for many days afterwards. His work efficiency decreased, making Hoang grumpy all week.

"In recent years, my finances have been more abundant, so I regularly get flu shots. Vaccines are also good, helping me reduce the frequency of getting sick and avoid affecting those around me," Hoang said.

Office workers are getting flu shots. Photo: An An — Office workers are getting flu shots. Photo: *An An*

According to records at more than 122 centers of the VNVC Vaccination System nationwide in the past 3 months, the rate of office workers getting vaccinated to protect their health has increased by about 20% compared to the first months of the year. Among them, influenza, pneumococcal, whooping cough - diphtheria - tetanus vaccines... are chosen by many people.

Dr. Bach Thi Chinh, Medical Director of the VNVC Vaccination System, said that office workers and workers often have to work in a common space. This space is crowded, closed, has low temperature, and uses air conditioning, so it is easy to cross-infect when there are people carrying pathogens.

A 2019 study published in ScienceDirect , titled The Impact of Hygiene on the Spread of Viruses in Office Buildings, demonstrated that public office spaces facilitate the rapid spread of pathogens. Viruses can be transmitted through shared photocopiers, kitchens, bathrooms, computer keyboards, and desks.

The study also cited the results of an experiment on 230 adult office workers, showing that those who were exposed to respiratory infections were five times more likely to get sick. As a result, these people would lose work time and productivity.

Therefore, Dr. Chinh believes that office workers and workers should proactively get vaccinated to protect their health. Recommended vaccines include influenza, pneumococcal, measles - mumps - rubella, chickenpox, diphtheria - whooping cough - tetanus. These are common diseases, highly contagious, and prone to complications in young children and the elderly. For example, pneumococcal bacteria usually reside in the throat, attacking when immunity is weakened, causing pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis, etc. Mumps is transmitted directly through the respiratory tract, can cause complications of ovarian inflammation in women and orchitis in men, leading to the risk of infertility. Chickenpox is a benign disease, but can cause serious complications in adults.

"This group of people are also the main breadwinners in their families. When they take the initiative to prevent diseases, they can ensure their family's finances and protect the health of their loved ones," said Dr. Chinh.

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