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How Colds And Flu Cause More Than Just Health Problems

Written by
NMS Flu Team
Published on
January 24, 2019 at 11:42:00 AM PST January 24, 2019 at 11:42:00 AM PSTth, January 24, 2019 at 11:42:00 AM PST

It's no secret that colds and flu can be a nuisance on a regular basis. Being sick is, obviously, uncomfortable and unpleasant for both the person who's ill as well as the people that have to take care of them. However, common illnesses like the cold and flu are more damaging than you might think, and in ways you might not necessarily think about. Here are just a few ways in which common illnesses like the cold and the flu can cause problems outside of general health concerns.

Reduced Work Productivity

When people are sick but are scheduled to work, they have one of two options, generally speaking. They can either go to work despite their illness, and risk infecting their coworkers while being less productive than usual, or they can stay home and not get any work done at all. Either way, companies suffer when employees are sick, and common illnesses can cause serious productivity issues.

Missed School For Children

Just as adults will often be forced to miss work due to illness, children are often forced to miss school The average child catches between six and ten colds a year, and this can cause difficulty in several ways. The child might stay home and suffer academically as a result, while also requiring an adult to stay home from work to care for them. Even worse, the child might not have the choice of staying home; if a parent isn't available to take care of the sick child, they might have to go to school anyway, risking spreading disease.

Dangerous Health Risks

Of course, the most significant problem the cold and the flu pose is the health risks they create for vulnerable populations. While a majority of people are able to safely receive more concentrated vaccine formulas, not everyone can safely be vaccinated. This includes those who are already sick with another condition and occasionally elders. If doctors don't order flu vaccines for seniors in order to properly protect them from the flu, it's much more likely that these seniors will suffer more severe health complications as a result.

Common illnesses like the flu can cause significant problems for everyone, even outside of health complications. Be sure to order flu vaccines for your patients to help prevent the spread of these irritating illnesses.