With the flu season is full swing, the Ontario Medical Association is calling on employers in the province to end the practice of asking for a doctor’s note when employees stay home sick.
The OMA says sick notes require a trip to the doctor's office where germs can easily spread.
"Employers should encourage workers to stay home when sick -- not require sick notes which has a discouraging effect and forces patients into the doctor’s office when they are sick," Dr. Scott Wooder, president of the OMA, released Tuesday.
"Most cold and flu viruses are spread because people touch surfaces and then touch their faces, other objects and other people," he said.
Wooder said heading to a doctor's office or walk-in clinic for a doctor's note only encourages the spread of germs to others in the waiting room who could be more susceptible to the flu and are at a greater risk of suffering complications.
Wooder also pointed out that doctors can't police workplace absenteeism.
On Tuesday he tweeted: "Ontario's health system does not have the resources to act as industry's Truant Officer."
The OMA said some simple steps – such as coughing and sneezing into your sleeve, using hand sanitizer and washing your hands frequently – can help prevent the flu, along with getting the flu shot.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, flu cases continue to increase sharply.
The latest data shows a spike in hospitalizations among influenza patients as 2013 came to a close.
