2 employees of SAP India test positive for swine flu, offices closed for a week

The company has told employees not to come to the office between February 20 and 28 as it sanitises the office premises

Indian arm of Germany-based company SAP has asked employees to work from home after two of its employees tested positive for H1N1 influenza. The company has told employees not to come to the office between February 20 and 28 as it sanitises the office premises.

“This is to inform you that there are few cases of H1N1 (Swine Flu) reported out of Ecoworld office [Bengaluru]. Considering the situation we encourage you to work from home,” a company notice said.

“The health of our employees and their families is of utmost priority, as a precautionary measure, all the SAP Offices across Bangalore, Gurgaon and Mumbai have been closed for extensive sanitization, and all SAP employees based in these locations have been asked to work from home till further notice,” an official company notice said.

The company also said that it will be undertaking a detailed contact tracing to identify who might have come in contact with the infected colleagues.

“If anyone of you or your family embers have any symptoms of cold, cough with fever please seek medical advice. “

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), H1N1 symptoms include fever, chills and sore throat and are similar to seasonal influenza but have been characterised by higher fatality rates among healthy young adults and higher incidence of viral pneumonia.

Swine flu is a viral disease that annually hits India during the winter season. In 2014-15, while over 31000 people were tested positive for swine flu, it took over 2000 lives in India