Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Questions about the Flu? Nurse Sharon has Answers!

Flu’s on my mind today for a bunch of reasons. On the bus this morning I saw a bunch of people coughing (and then, of course, grabbing the hand rails). Yikes. May I begin by imploring: Cough into the crook of your elbow, people!

In seriousness, wouldn't it be great if we could call people out on their bad hygiene? If it were socially acceptable for me to tug on the sleeve of the sniffling girl on the Damen bus and say “Please, use this tissue to wipe your nose. You might be giving the next person on the bus your sniffles.” Any thoughts on this, dear readers? How do you gently influence the people around you (kids, too) to be more germ-conscious?

And how about those vaccines? The Chicago Tribune reports today that the H1N1 vaccine is trickling into the area, but is not yet widely available here. I think that means hold tight for most of us, but there’s more on the way. However, the seasonal flu vaccine IS ready now. Sharon Stanley, American Red Cross Chief Nurse, encourages us to become better informed and offers insights about seasonal and H1N1 flu in this video. Sharon explains how to avoid getting the flu and dispels some myths about vaccination (it can’t give you the flu!) You can find more on the Red Cross Blog.


No comments: