Friday, February 15, 2008

Got a flu shot? It might not be enough.

The flu shot is only effective against 40% of the flu bugs going around this year.

If you've had the vaccine, don't rely on it to protect you--wash your hands with soap and hot water, using a clean towel to wipe them off. Wash them frequently. If you are in a public place, don't touch your face--hand-to-face contact is how you get sick. Hand sanitizer is next to useless, by the way. Real soap, hot water. Clean towel.

If you are a manager or boss, don't be an ass: Let your sick employees stay home instead of coming in and infecting everyone. Productivity isn't helped by making a sick, miserable worker stay and make everyone else sick and miserable (and unproductive). A couple days for them to fight it off will be better than their bodies dealing with the stress of work while rallying against the virus.

As a customer, it looks bad to me if your employees are serving me while they are sick. It tells me that, not only do you not care enough about your workers to give them the time off they need to heal, you also don't care if they come in and spread the disease around to your customers.

Good luck everyone, and stay well.

7 comments:

aebhel said...

Urg, last year my roommate got the flu, which meant that my boyfriend (who was living with us at the time) and I both got it, and ended up basically housebound for two weeks. The BF was running a fever of 103 and wouldn't let me take him to the hospital because he was afraid of the cost (doesn't have health care).

It is a nasty unpleasant thing, and I applaud the idea that sick people should stay home and not make everyone else sick.

Heather said...

I tip my hat to you, good lady! :)

Naomi Miller said...

You're so right.

Gah. The trouble with hand sanitizer is that people think it replaces soap and hot water, instead of being a back-up measure when soap and hot water aren't available.

Places with hand sanitizer NEXT TO THE SINK make me want to cry.

Anonymous said...

Most service sector workers such as cashiers and wait staff do not go in sick to work because their bosses insist. They go in sick because they often do not make enough money to afford losing the money they would not make if they took the time off to get well. Their managers often LET them work because they know how badly they need the money.

Anonymous said...

If you don't get the Flu shot, you're 40% more supceptible to all kinds of Flu.

I really don't appreciate people who claim that not getting the flu shot is better. Having zero protection vs some protection isn't better.

I respect you on all other issues in your blog. This I think is giving information that will lead to more Flu illnesses, and possibly death. I really do think it's immoral to suggest you shouldn't vaccinate yourself against the Flu, simply cause the vaccine isn't 100%

If you don't get vaccinated, it's almost 100% you will get sick. Where's the benifit from that?

RioIriri said...

I wasn't suggesting that people not get vaccinated; I was trying to say that people shouldn't rely only on the vaccine to protect them this year--they should take hygienic precautions in addition to getting vaccinated.

I definitely believe in the vaccine, and I get it every year because of my asthma.

cher said...

My mom got a flu shot 10/16/08, was in ER the next day with swollen, red, face, went on meds that increased her Bpressure. A week later better but not sure if she'll get flu shot again.