# 5257
For a society that has just only recently emerged from a year-long influenza pandemic – one that consumed cable, broadcast, and print news coverage for months – our level of influenza awareness remains dismally low.
At least, if we are to go by the results of a recent poll conducted on behalf of the NFID (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases).
According to this national poll conducted in November of last year, nearly seven out of 10 Americans (68%) did not realize that flu viruses can travel five to six feet from a sneeze or a cough.
My first response was, `You have to be kidding. Right?”
But apparently, they aren’t kidding.
Worse, two-thirds (66%) admitted to going to work, school, or pursuing their regular daily activities even when they have flu symptoms.
If influenza were just a temporary inconvenience, a benign misery from which everyone recovers, then this would simply be inexcusably bad manners.
But influenza – even in a `normal’ flu season - kills thousands of people each year.
Yet somehow, we take it lightly. We treat covering our coughs and sneezes in public, or staying home when we are likely contagious, as optional.
In the fall of 2009 (see Take the Pledge), during the peak of the pandemic, west coast preparedness advocate @CarolDn tweeted:
If you get sick, pledge to yourself: "This germ stops with me" Don't pass it forward.
I liked the sentiment so much, I featured it repeatedly over that winter. Carol had the right idea then, and it remains the right idea every flu season.
In their ongoing attempt to try to convince Americans to take influenza seriously, the NFID has launched a new winter influenza awareness campaign.
You can read more about this survey, and the campaign, in this press release.
ARE YOU READY TO FACE “THAT GUY” THIS FLU SEASON?
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases launches Are You That Guy? campaign to urge Americans to see a doctor and limit contact with others when flu symptoms strike
BETHESDA, MD, January 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Have you ever ventured out of the house, gone to a business meeting or traveled by air when you thought you might have the flu? If you answered yes, you are among a majority of Americans who fessed up in a recent survey to being “that guy” who goes about his or her day despite experiencing the sudden onset of fever, aches and chills – commonly recognized symptoms of the flu.
As the U.S. flu season peaks, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) has launched Are You That Guy?, a national influenza educational campaign that encourages personal and social responsibility by raising awareness of how easily the flu virus spreads.
According to a recent national poll, almost seven out of 10 Americans (68%) did not realize that flu viruses can travel five to six feet from a sneeze or a cough, and two-thirds (66%) admitted to going about their daily activities despite experiencing flu symptoms.
“It’s easy to downplay the signs of influenza, particularly when daily obligations call,” said Dr. Susan J. Rehm, NFID medical director and vice chairman of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Cleveland Clinic. “While many of us feel we can power through the flu without getting others sick by avoiding shared objects or shaking hands, it’s important to remember that the influenza virus is commonly spread through the air and can travel up to six feet away when someone coughs, sneezes or even speaks.”
“Influenza is serious and highly-contagious,” added Dr. Rehm. “Vaccination and good hygiene habits are important steps to avoid getting the flu. If you have flu symptoms, it’s important to act quickly, see a doctor and follow your doctor’s advice. No one wants to be ‘that guy’ who puts others at risk for flu.”
