It might sound dramatic but did you know sharing your virus this flu season has the potential to take a life? Perhaps you don’t realise how dangerous your germs can be. Please let me explain…
Every year around this time my Facebook feed becomes filled with friends with chronic illness fighting off the flu. For some it will mean long-term damage to their lungs but for others it will take their life.
Each year more Australians die from the flu than from road accidents. What to you might just be a ‘little sniffle’ or ‘scratchy throat’, could be far more serious for someone else.
While you would probably never know the lives you had impacted by sharing your virus, your choice to battle your way through a day at the office or get the groceries done could be deadly. When you pass on your virus the recipient can be contagious before they realise are sick. You NEVER know who you are sharing your germs with…
That lady who used the EFTPOS machine after you? She is the primary care giver for her daughter fighting cancer.
That student in your child’s class? His brother is an organ transplant recipient.
That guy who sat next to you on the bus? He is going to visit his elderly grandmother tomorrow.
The person you share an office with? Their small child has chronic asthma.
Is YOUR schedule worth risking THEIR life?
If you are experiencing cold and flu symptoms, please don’t share your germs. While getting sick is inconvenient and puts a dampener on your weekend plans or the busy day at work, spare a thought for those whom the consequences are not temporary. Have we really become a society so obsessed with being busy that we can’t take a moment to let our bodies heal and value all that they do for us? Even when you mask your symptoms with medication you have the potential to share your germs with others.
There is nothing noble about ‘soldering on’.
Generally, you are contagious for five days from the onset of symptoms. Until then stay home, stay hydrated and save lives from the comfort of your couch.
If you really must go out while unwell, protect others by considering wearing a mask (available at most chemists), use plenty of hand sanitiser and practice good cough and sneeze hygiene. (link).
Act responsibly, keep your germs to yourself and others safe.
Know what your flu can do. Make this post the only thing you make viral this winter.
You must log in to post a comment.