Wellness programs are becoming increasingly common among companies of all types and sizes. Simple blood tests and some basic health tips based on potential risk zones can do a lot to help employees, and employers, stay happy and feeling well throughout the year and during the crunch times in which good health is even more important. Passport Health offers wellness services that help employees understand how to maintain a healthy lifestyle based on their unique situations.

Biometric health screenings are not time intensive and provide key baseline measures for any corporate health initiative. These screenings involve a short visit with registered health professionals who will check vitals, record BMI, administer basic blood tests, and provide easy to understand advice on what the individual can do in order to maintain and improve his or her health.

How does a biometric event work? It is simple! Everything is brought to the workplace, to make the screening as convenient as possible for employees. Employees are even able to pre-register for a time slot for the screening well in advance of the event to minimize time away from work. Passport Health even provides flyers for posting around the facility and email templates to remind everyone about the benefits that come with a wellness check. Here is a bit more detail on what to expect at a biometric screening event at your workplace.

[Read more…]

This year marks the 197th anniversary of the first official celebration of Australia Day. The holiday marks the arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson in 1788. Also known as Foundation Day, Anniversary Day and Survival Day, January 26 provides an opportunity for all Australians, and visitors, to celebrate the rich history and unique sights the country has to offer.

Outdoor barbecues, concerts and sporting events are common means of celebrating this holiday, as are massive firework displays. The holiday also provides a great opportunity to travel to Australia to take in the country’s famous Great Barrier Reef, the beaches of the Gold Coast, and the fabled Outback. Another amazing sight to behold is the Sydney Opera House which, though only opened in 1973, has already been named a UNESCO Protected Heritage Site for its distinct iconography and the contributions to the arts that have been made there.

In terms of health, unique precautions should be taken for travel to Australia since the country is very different from many other developed countries. While the nation is fully industrialized, there is still need to take precautions in certain areas because of indigenous wildlife, and this unique fauna is typically not present in other countries.

For example, malaria is still comparatively prevalent in sectors of the country. In 2011, Australia recorded just over 8,000 cases while, by comparison, the United States only had 5. Thus, due to the presence of mosquitos and other wildlife, it is extremely important that mosquito-borne disease precautions are taken for travel to certain regions of Australia.

[Read more…]

We are now more than midway through Cervical Health Awareness Month. So far, we have reviewed cervical health issues such as the HPV vaccine and how it can help protect against more strains of HPV than any other vaccine on the market. We have also taken a look at what the WHO advises regarding vaccination, screening and cancer prevention. Now, we turn to PATH, a group that is trying to help individuals and governments provide care for and prevent the spread of cervical cancers.

Since its beginnings in 1977, when PATH had only three staff members and a dream, the group has partnered with global health leaders in order to find affordable and effective solutions for HPV screening and vaccinations. Through these screenings the group hopes to decrease the number of deaths due to cervical and other related cancers and help improve women’s health throughout the world.

One of PATH’s major focuses has been getting screenings to areas that could not otherwise offer this medical service (not entirely unlike Matternet and Project C.U.R.E). Through a partnership with QIAGEN, a German molecular diagnostics company, careHPVTM was developed, and this test provides a faster, more cost effective, and less technically advanced way of testing for cancer-causing HPV variants than the conventional Pap test. PATH is also working with another company on developing a similar easy-to-use test that will check for cancerous cells and not just the HPV infection.

[Read more…]

The National Hockey League saw an outbreak of mumps earlier this season. Over 20 players and two officials were diagnosed with or showed signs of the disease.

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Derick Brassard of the New York Rangers, and Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks are among the players that have been diagnosed within the last few months.

Mumps, which is a contagious infection that causes swelling of the salivary glands, fever and aches, is now considered a rare disease in the United States. Since the MMR vaccination became popular in the 1970s, the number of annual cases of measles, mumps and rubella has decreased exponentially. The total cases of mumps plummeted from hundreds of thousands annually to only 1,078 in 2014 (note that this statistic is cases reported as of November 29th). In 2013, these numbers were even lower, with only 438 people diagnosed with mumps. These small numbers are largely due to the MMR vaccine; although it is not 100 percent effective, it prevents the vast majority of cases of mumps, especially when the two dose series is completed.

[Read more…]

A report from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that it is the responsibility of employers and employees to ensure travel health before, during, and after any type of travel, whether it is business related or not.

According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 35% of all travel is business related, but travel related diseases have an equal spread across all demographics due to a lack of pre-travel prevention.

“The failure of travelers to receive preventive medication results in unnecessary illness, medical expense, and the potential spread of contagious diseases within their local communities,” says the report. Employers are encouraged to identify employees who may travel internationally and to refer them to qualified health care professionals for the purpose of providing helpful travel health information and vaccinations that could protect those traveling employees and others within the workplace environment.

Employees traveling to developing countries or high risk areas are asked to take specific precautions by OSHA and the CDC, including:

• Speak with a travel health specialist and receive any necessary vaccinations and preventative medicines before the trip.
• Be sure to receive any booster vaccinations against any disease for which immunity may have diminished such as: yellow fever, tetanus, typhoid and/or influenza.
• Don’t handle animals in the region, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases like rabies.
• Drink bottled or boiled water, and avoid tap water or ice that may be contaminated.

OSHA is a regulatory organization within the Department of Labor that oversees health and safety issues in the workplace, especially those involving exposure to harm, employee access to information, and required safety procedures. Its mission since 1970 has been to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.”

For more information on what employees and employers can do to avoid illness in the workplace, whether it be from travel or endemic diseases, see Passport Health’s Employer Solutions pages.