Individuals working in close proximity to one another and utilizing the same office equipment share a likelihood of contracting communicable diseases from one another. Good personal hygiene, relevant vaccinations and a regular sterilization of shared office equipment can limit the spread of communicable diseases in the workplace. Other methods for combating the spread of disease in the workplace is to encourage the use of sick days when ill, covering the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing and regularly disinfecting office equipment and shared work surfaces.
As much as 20 percent of the population contracts some strain of influenza, or the flu, each year. This highly contagious virus spreads easily throughout the workplace. Symptoms include headache, fatigue, coughing, body aches and digestive tract discomfort. Influenza is spread primarily through respiratory droplets released into the air when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. The flu can also be contracted by touching an inanimate object that harbors the virus and then touching the mouth or nose.
Chickenpox is a contagious illness caused by a strain of the herpes virus. The disease is characterized by pink, itchy bumps and blisters that turn into scabs within a week of symptoms appearing. While chickenpox is commonly associated with childhood, un-vaccinated adults exposed to the virus can transmit the disease among others in the workplace, particularly those with poor immune systems. Chickenpox is spread by contact with the blisters of the infected individual and by sharing infected clothing items. The virus is also spread in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Infectious mononucleosis is a herpes virus caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. The virus is spread by personal contact with an infected person, such as through hand-shaking, kissing or coming in contact with personal items used by an infected individual, such as drinking glasses, telephone mouth pieces or phone headsets. Symptoms include fever, fatigue and a sore throat.
Tuberculosis, or TB, is a bacterial disease that typically affected the lungs, though other organs can be involved in advanced cases. Tuberculosis is spread through the air when an infected individual coughs or sneezes. Symptoms of tuberculosis are not always evident, though warning signs include a low-grade fever, cough, extreme lethargy and night sweats.
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a contagious bacterial infection caused by a bacterium found in the mouth, nose and throat of an infected person. Symptoms of the disease typically evolve from cold-like symptoms to a violent hacking cough. Whooping cough is spread by direct contact with mucus or respiratory discharge from an infected individual.
Ringworm is a contagious skin infection caused by a fungus, not an actual worm. Ringworm is most frequently characterized by round, slightly raised lesions on the skin. Ringworm is transmitted via skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. It can also be indirectly transferred from wet surfaces, such as sinks, countertops and floors.
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