flu season

if only there is one less selfish person

I've always heard stories from colleagues about how often they fall sick because their kids fall sick because someone from their daycare/school was sick.

One even told me that someone from school passed the virus to his boys, who then passed the virus to him, who then shared it with his team at work. One by one, the team members fell sick. My first thought was 'you shouldn't even have come in when you're sick', let alone spreading viruses to a quarter of the people at work.

Just a week or two ago, a friend's daughter contracted the Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) which started from someone from the next class. And who knows where this 'someone' contracted the disease from. Why did the parents even send him/her to school knowing that he/she is carrying and has the potential of spreading some kind of viruses?

A friend told me she's having sorethroat and headache, but she stressed that her nose isn't runny so she doesn't think it was caused by virus. She thinks the sorethroat and headache were developed from her body internally. Sorethroat and headache are flu-like symptoms to start with. It's unlikely that it's not a viral infection (in my 'non-medical-background' opinion).

This is only one of the many times that she fell sick with sorethroat, headache, flu or fever symptoms. Sigh. Either she has weak antibody. Or she is surrounded by virus-carriers all the time. Or she is negligent to the causes of flu-transmittal. Or all the above.

Each time my toddler niece is sick, my sister will keep her away from the two nephews (or vice versa) to avoid spreading the virus to them. Virus could be passed on by just touching the same toys, sharing the same food/drinks, or coming in contact with saliva/mucus. Even during healthy times, saliva-passing should be kept minimal.

I know of a friend who falls sick every month. It's not just her, it seems like her colleagues fall sick frequently too. This is an obvious sign that the viruses are spread amongst themselves. Sick people should just stay home for a day or two or five!

Sigh.

The most recent conversation I had on viruses:

A: I can't eat ice-cream as my cough will get worse.
D: It's good. So you can officially take a sick leave tomorrow.
A: No. I'll still go to work.
Me: *zzzz*
A: I haven't taken any sick leave before.
Me: What?! But you've been sick so frequently. From memory, you have flu every now and then. You never taken a day off at all?! *wth?*
D: Wahlao.......you'll spread to other people leh.
Me: (exactly what I thought)
A: Hahaha. Ya I think so. I was coughing for a week and this morning my boss started coughing too. Hehe.
Me: (It's not funny, Hello???) Why don't you ever take a day off?
A: I'm doing them good. Giving them free flu vaccination. So they can fight greater viruses next time. 
Me: *it's getting too ridiculous, I don't even want to discuss it any further*
D: It's not just your colleague you're harming lor. Think about their kids, their family.
Me: Just take a day off and rest at home.
A: It's boring at home. That's why I'll still go to work regardless. 

I gave up trying to convince people like this.

People who think sick leave exists only for the sake of sick people.
People who think taking or not taking sick leave is solely for their own good.
People who have no consideration for other people in terms of spreading illnesses.
People who think viruses never spread.
People who think it's not their fault if other people contracted the virus from them.

The harder I try to 'educate' them, it only makes me seem like a paranoid and un-compassionate person.

No amount of brainwashing or nagging is comparable to self-awareness.
In the end of the day, only they can change their own mindset.
It's scary to know that there are plenty of 'unaware' people like this around me.
Haven't even taken into consideration, the ones who aren't around me.

Everyone needs to be considerate and educated about how not to spread diseases/viruses to innocent healthy people.
People don't need to fall sick just because you are sick.
Stay home, recover.
Spare the virus from spreading to others.
Or at least wear a mask, cover up when sneezing/coughing, sanitise.

This is just 'domestic' flu we're talking about.
I can't imagine if they have swine flu, bird flu, or ebola.
Would they still think it's okay for them to walk freely in public spaces?