Influenza and Workers Compensation

Influenza is a common and persistent illness, often affecting large numbers of people in the autumn. Influenza is prone to spreading through large groups of people, such as workplaces, schools, and universities. Today, thanks to modern medicine and yearly vaccination, influenza is usually not fatal, although it can be very debilitating. If you have been temporarily disabled by an influenza infection contracted in the workplace, you might be eligible for workers’ compensation.

Workers compensation is a type of insurance taken out by employers to assist with the expenses of a disease or injury received in the workplace, especially if the employee is temporarily or permanently disabled. Workers who are injured can get help with their medical expenses, and in many cases pay for time lost. By receiving workers’ compensation, employees can recover more quickly and start contributing at work again.

A necessary precondition for workers compensation is proving that the illness was contracted at work. If you or someone you love became ill at work during an outbreak of similar flu cases among several coworkers, and your symptoms match theirs, you may have contracted the flu from your coworkers. In addition, the illness must be disabling. Although the flu is unpleasant, the symptoms are not usually serious enough to be disabling.

However, the elderly and anyone with a compromised immune system (such as people using immuno-suppressant drugs and people with HIV) can be at serious risk of death from an untreated influenza infection. Influenza can quickly lead to pneumonia and other serious respiratory illnesses, and the high fevers and dehydration it causes can require emergency room care. For people with weak immune systems, the full symptoms of the illness can take a long time to go away.

If you or someone you love have been seriously disabled by an influenza infection contracted at work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation. The experienced Pennsylvania workers compensation attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams can help you put together a case and receive your full benefits. To discuss your case with a lawyer, call Lowenthal & Abrams today.