Capitol Hill Takes H1N1 Precautionary Measures
H1N1 PREVENTION
New Bedford Standard Times
Haley Shoemaker
Boston University Washington News Service
Oct. 21, 2009
WASHINGTON–Many workplaces, including offices on Capitol Hill, are taking precautionary measures in the hopes of preventing H1N1 flu outbreaks.
For Hill staffers the seasonal flu vaccine is available free of charge from the House physician’s office; as of Wednesday, a limited supply of the H1N1 flu vaccine was available in the House physician’s office, said Kyle D. Anderson, the communications director for the Committee on House Administration.
“We received our initial limited supply, though I don’t have specific number of doses,” Anderson said in an e-mail message. “Like everyone else, we’re expecting more over the next few weeks but don’t have firm dates as to when and how much we’ll be receiving.”
First priority for the vaccine will be given to congressional employees who are pregnant or live with or care for infants less than 6 months old, Anderson said.
Members of Congress are not given priority, Anderson said.
The office of Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is taking extra precautions, according to Harry Gural, Frank’s press secretary. “Our staff is aware of this problem and I know people are making special efforts in this regard,” he said.
Hand sanitizers have been put in the office and employees are encouraged to get the H1N1 vaccination and to stay home if they experience flu symptoms, Gural said.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all employers provide “sufficient facilities for hand washing and alcohol-based (at least 60 percent) hand sanitizers in common workplace areas … and that they provide tissues, disinfectants and disposable towels for employees to clean their work surfaces.”
Gural said while they encourage the office staff to get the vaccine, it is up to each employee to make the decision.
“I am not aware of any plans to mandate H1N1 vaccinations, and if there were it would be a state, not a federal, issue,” he said.
Gural said that the office has received about a dozen letters from constituents who are opposed to a mandatory vaccination.
Most businesses will be affected by the H1N1 flu this year, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. The school’s survey found that only one-third of business owners “believe they could sustain their business without severe operational problems if half their workforce were absent for two weeks due to H1N1.”
Many companies have encouraged their employees to work from home, if possible, to prevent spreading illnesses. However, House rules do not allow staff to work from home, Gural said.
If someone in Frank’s office does get sick, he or she is allowed sick days like most other offices. “We encourage people to stay home when they’re sick,” Gural said.
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