Swine flu increases the pressure to get a shot

The only time in the last decade that I got the flu was two years ago when I received my one and only flu shot. Perhaps that was a coincidence, but I am thinking long and hard about ever getting a flu shot again.

The pressure is on to get vaccinated against seasonal and swine flu this year. Of course, I am not working. It's not as simple as going down to the nurse's office at USA Today and getting a free injection. But costs and inconveniences aside, I still am leaning towards not getting either vaccination.

The flu I had two years ago arrived about six months after my shot. It's quite possible that I contracted another virus that I was not protected against. I had a fever for six consecutive days. Next to getting the chicken pox as an adult about 20 years ago, that illness was the worst I have ever experienced. It was relentless.

I wish people would be more careful when they are sick. Too many folks cough without covering up. Too many parents let their kids go to school or take them out in public when not feeling well. And in this economy, with everyone scared to lose their jobs, I am guessing people will be more prone to go to work when feeling under the weather.

A lot of American companies still don't provide employees with enough sick time. I recently applied to one job that only offered four paid sick days a year regardless of how many years you worked there. Unused days did not carry over to the new year. That won't even cover the duration of the average flu in many instances. If you get sick again, even if it's just a 24-hour bug, you're out of luck and out of sick time. Another job that I applied to didn't provide any sick time for the first three months, and then only gave folks one day per quarter.

There have been many years in my career where I didn't use a single sick day. However, some years the benefit does come in handy.

Progressive companies give employees a pool of time off that can be used for illness, vacation or any other reason. Smart employees will make sure to always bank enough days to cover any illnesses they or their children might contract.

I am not sure if the swine flu is the end of the world as the media portrays it. I am certain it isn't pleasant, and in children it can be very dangerous and even lethal, but media reports seem to be more hysterical than they need to be at this point.

Another insane aspect of the swine flu (more accurately called H1N1) saga is that hog farmers across the globe killed millions of pigs last year when the flu was first reported and somehow connected to swine. Not only were those mass killings unnecessary, but with so much hunger in the world, it was quite a waste to rid the planet of all of that food. Furthermore, did we really learn anything about why it's not a good idea to permit crappy factory farms? I doubt it.