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December 11, 2007

Flu

Filed under: Bill Bickel, comic strips, comics, flu, Frazz, humor, Jef Mallet — Cidu Bill @ 2:38 pm

frazz-flu.gif

Um… or maybe it’s simply that employers being a lot more likely to come to work while sick than employees are?

14 Comments »

  1. Actually, I think the point is that Kiefer’s dad didn’t stay home when he was sick, thus passing the flu on to his employees. Which makes Kiefer’s dad definitely a moron.

    The last line is the intimation that Kiefer might be carrying the flu, too, I think.

    Comment by Lapislaz — December 11, 2007 @ 3:42 pm

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  2. Anybody who has ever been the victim of some moron who wouldn’t stay home when they were infectious will understand this. Always made me mad that I’d get sick because someone wanted to proof what a “team-player” they were be coming to work and spreading germs all over me.

    Comment by Singapore Bill — December 11, 2007 @ 4:36 pm

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  3. I agree with 1 & 2 here.

    Had Kiefer’s dad grappled with his flu at home, he would have cost the company perhaps 1 or 2 man-days, rather than the 5-10 he cost them by coming in.

    And in answer To Frazz’ question – yes, Kiefer’s dad is a moron. By leaving home when sick, you help spread the organism making you ill – betraying your own species! I don’t care what your job is, the world will survive a day or two without you.

    Comment by Brian Leahy — December 11, 2007 @ 10:29 pm

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  4. I agree the right thing to do is stay home. Sadly, many employees don’t get sick time and can’t afford to get their pay cut, so they come to work sick. Of course, this shouldn’t have affected Kiefer’s dad since he’s the boss.

    Comment by dan v — December 11, 2007 @ 11:51 pm

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  5. The “you’re getting me sick by being here” thing always bugs me.

    The infectious period for the flu usually starts about 24 hours before the symptomatic period.

    So unless his dad happened to have had his first symptomatic day on a Sunday or Monday (and he doesn’t go in to the office on weekends), he probably already spread it to anyone who was going to get it the day before he knew he was sick.

    Comment by PepperjackCandy — December 12, 2007 @ 1:54 am

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  6. Pepperjack – the infectious period STARTS then, but it also continues over the course of the flu. 1-2 days of exposure is at least slightly less bad than 5 days of it. My body might be able to fend off a day or so, but 5 is pushing it.

    Comment by dd — December 12, 2007 @ 3:14 am

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  7. Of course, there’s “the flu” as in “influenza,” the potentially life-threatening illness against which many people are inoculated yearly. Then there’s “the flu” as in “stomach flu” which is basically gastroenteritis, or other generic “my stomach feels yicky” bug.

    Comment by Powers — December 12, 2007 @ 7:00 am

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  8. From the CDC’s flu page:

    “Healthy adults may be able to infect others 1 day before getting symptoms and up to 5 days after getting sick. Therefore, it is possible to give someone the flu before you know you are sick as well as while you are sick.”

    It even lists this among symptoms of ‘actual’ influenza:

    “Diarrhea and vomiting (more common among children than adults)”

    Comment by Brian Leahy — December 12, 2007 @ 7:07 am

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  9. Wow! This has turned out to be one very informative thread! I’m not sure, but I do believe this is the first time I’ve learned something useful in CIDU…

    Brian, care to share the URL of that CDC Flu page with us?

    Comment by Ron Obvious — December 12, 2007 @ 11:07 am

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  10. Happy to, though I had the impression URLs were verboten here. Let’s try it:

    http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

    In case that gets filtered or something, it’s
    www
    dot
    cdc
    dot
    gov
    slash
    flu

    Comment by Brian Leahy — December 12, 2007 @ 12:14 pm

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  11. Brian, URLs are very much allowed here (and are really quite common). If you post a comment with more than two of them, it gets sent to me for moderation, but it gets approved within hours as long as it isn’t spam.

    And Ron, the CIDU page has often been a learning experience: Particularly when Doctor Fun was around, I learned some things I think I’d rather not have known.

    Comment by Cidu Bill — December 12, 2007 @ 12:21 pm

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  12. Dan V said:
    “Sadly, many employees don’t get sick time and can’t afford to get their pay cut, so they come to work sick. Of course, this shouldn’t have affected Kiefer’s dad since he’s the boss.”

    This problem would certainly affect Keifer’s dad. When he doesn’t come in, work doesn’t get done, the business doesn’t make as much money, so *he* doesn’t get that money. For a lot of small business owner’s, losing a days work make a big impact on their take-home pay – which often isn’t all that much to start with.

    Comment by Pete — December 13, 2007 @ 9:02 am

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  13. Pete – even so, it’s hard to imagine how he might have saved more money by coming in than he lost by sickening his staff.

    My heart goes out to anyone in such a dire financial situation.

    All the same, the implication I drew from the cartoon was that sick time was available, but that Kiefer’s dad refused to take it despite being contagious, thinking himself “tough”. THAT is moronic.

    Viruses prey on humans. When you leave the house while contagious, you help it hunt new victims. Far from being tough, you’re actually doing just what the big wants. When you have the option of staying home, but choose not to — far from being ‘tough’, you’re really being a patsy for a microbe that sees you as lunch.

    Comment by Brian Leahy — December 13, 2007 @ 8:28 pm

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  14. In paragraph 4, sentence 3, I meant “bug” not “big”…

    Comment by Brian Leahy — December 13, 2007 @ 8:31 pm

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