Let’s get real for a minute here people and talk about the flu.
I am serious, Influenza, as it is affectionately known, is kicking some major booty.
So, I am not going to lie here, even I tend to think that the Flu is only dangerous to the young, elderly, and immunocompromised. However, I have seen plenty of patients this year who have come in feeling like junk and testing positive for the flu. Guess what, my coworkers too. Not just nurses, but also physicians, lab techs, phlebotomists, respiratory therapists and the like. Young, healthy, and really ought to know better.
So how do we help? First, wash your hands. If you are phobic of water, use alcohol based hand sanitizer. In fact, that might be better so you are not touching public faucets, toilets, and door handles. Or public people. Better yet, avoid going out in public. Not out to eat, not to church (even here in the bible belt) – believe me your friends at church don’t want the flu, so just don’t go anywhere you don’t absolutely have to go.
If you are me, a little snarky, a little tired, and very much paranoid about your spouse bringing home the flu from work because I know I am not going to bring it home from work, you tell your spouse to carry around a bottle of bleach wipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer and randomly attack the public with them.
Wonder how it’s going? So far so good.
Oh, and by the way, now that Flu A is winding down, Flu B is making an appearance and giving Flu A a run for her money. Remember people, relatively speaking Purell, Germ-X, and the like are cheap so sanitize away (at least for now).