Flu Shots

Remember worrying about diseases that aren't Covid?

One of the side-benefits of mask mandates is that they prevent the transmission of other diseases, in addition to Covid. A local high school here in New Hampshire recently had a positive case of Tuberculosis, and public health officials credited the mandatory mask policy with preventing more cases in that school.

Influenza can be NASTY, as well. I got flu one winter (back when I was in my 20s), and it knocked me flat for 10 days. It was BAD—symptoms so severe that my doctor bumped other patients to get me in fast, because I was heading into life-threatening complications. I have gotten the flu shot every year since. It might not fully protect me from getting exposed or infected, but I know that, if I do get exposed and infected again, I won’t get nearly as sick as I did back in my 20s.

And that’s what this post is about—getting vaccinated for influenza. As leaders, most of us know that, if WE suddenly were unable to work (even from home), things would go off the rails in a bad way. And we know that, if one of our staffers came in sick and spread a highly contagious virus to everyone else in the office, it would create serious schedule problems.

Some people are convinced to get a flu shot because they want to protect others. But for some other people, the cost-benefit balance kicks in when they think of the risk of having the entire office suddenly knocked offline for a couple of weeks.

I hope you will choose to get a flu shot this year, and that you will encourage your staff members to get them, as well.

(Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash)