Do you agree that I should have been allowed to wear a mask while at work?
“Pneumonia has bacterial, viral, fungal, and other primary causes. A summary is provided below.”
“Bacterial - Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia. People who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or alcoholism most often get pneumonia from Klebsiella pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae. Atypical pneumonia, a type of pneumonia that typically occurs during the summer and fall months, is caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae. People who have Legionnaire's disease caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumoniae (often found in contaminated water supplies and air conditioners) may also develop pneumonia as part of the overall infection. Another type of bacteria responsible for pneumonia is called Chlamydia pneumoniae. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is a form of pneumonia that usually affects both lungs and is found in patients with weakened or compromised immune systems from such conditions as cancer and HIV/AIDS and those treated with TNF (tumor necrosis factor) for rheumatoid arthritis. ”
“Viral - Viral pneumonias are pneumonias that do not typically respond to antibiotic treatment (in contrast to bacterial pneumonias). Adenoviruses, rhinovirus, influenza virus (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and parainfluenza virus are all potential causes of viral pneumonia. ”
“Fungal - Histoplasmosis, coccidiomycosis, blastomycosis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis are fungal infections that can lead to fungal pneumonia. These types of pneumonias are relatively infrequent in the United States. ”
“Nosocomial and others - Organisms that have been exposed to strong antibiotics and have developed resistance are called nosocomial organisms. If they enter the lungs, a person may develop nosocomial pneumonia. Resistant bacteria are often found in nursing homes and hospitals. An example is MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staph aureus, which can cause skin infections as well as pneumonia. Similarly, outbreaks of the H5N1 influenza (bird flu) virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) have resulted in serious pneumonia infections. Anthrax, plague, and tularemia also may cause pneumonia, but their occurrences are rare. ” http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151632.php
The reason you haven’t been asked to get a pneumonia vaccination is that you are probably are not in one of the high risk groups (see the section in the above link – “Who gets pneumonia”?) As I said earlier, if you are a healthy adult there is probably no good reason for you to get a pneumonia vaccination, but there are plenty of good reasons for you to get a flu vaccination and it’s not necessarily all about you.
While the flu may make you miserable for a week or more and make miss time from work, if you are a healthy adult and assuming you don’t catch a strain of flu like we saw in 1918 that mostly killed healthy and younger people, you will recover from the flu and absent an underlying medical condition or being not in poor general health due to your own neglect or from not taking care of yourself if you do contract the flu, you are not likely to get pneumonia or to die from it with proper medical attention; you may however still get secondary bronchitis – which while not typically fatal, is no picnic. But if you are not vaccinated and contract the flu, you put other people, those in those high risk groups in greater jeopardy of contracting it. A flu shot is a lot cheaper for you and your employer in missed productivity and paid sick time and in the treatment of secondary infections even if not life threatening.
Most people don’t catch viral pneumonia directly; they contract viral pneumonia as the result of a primary viral infection like the flu, pneumonia being the secondary infection.
I guess because GSK hasn’t given The Joint Commission money to shill for that one...yet.
I’m sure there is a lot of money to be made from selling pneumonia vaccinations to people who don’t need them, but yet as you said “I have never been told I have to have a pneumonia vaccination”.
Do you agree that I should have been allowed to wear a mask while at work?
Again, I can’t answer that question; you should ask your employer. But I would ask you to consider this: If you refused to get a flu vaccination and come to work after contracting the flu, do you expect your employer to monitor whether or not you are wearing your mask at all times – from the time you enter the building to the time you leave and monitor whether or not you thoroughly washed your hands before entering the building? Do you expect your employer to ensure that if you cough or sneeze, that 1) the mask you choose to wear is effective in stopping you from spreading the airborne virus and 2) that during an 8 hour day of coughing and sneezing into that mask, that you never take it off?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126082530.htm
This article does state that wearing surgical masks is effective in reducing the transmission of a flu but it should be noted that it is more to prevent the wearer from contracting the virus than is it from the wearer if already sick from spreading it to non mask wearers. And in this scenario, it is also presumed that in a pandemic flu outbreak where vaccines may be in short supply especially for health care workers that the wearing of masks can be a good first line defense to prevent health care workers from becoming sick and the study also states that there is a real problem with them being worn properly and consistently.
Do you agree that I should have been allowed to wear a mask while at work?
If your employer made getting a flu shot a condition of continued employment and you do not have a legitimate and documented medical reason for not getting it (a documented allergy for instance) or a religious objection and that requirement doesn’t violate federal or state laws, then no. If you don’t like it you should find another job.