Ebola's a Concern, but Flu's a Present Threat

TalentZoo.com | Beyond Madison Avenue | Digital Pivot | Beneath the Brand

Archives | Categories

By: Doug Bedell

It's all about what gets our attention in this media-driven world. We're duly concerned over the possibility of Ebola spreading to the U.S., but how much have you heard from your friends and neighbors about getting a fall flu shot? The latter ought to be the more pressing concern, notes the Rutgers Today site. "The flu," it advises, "takes anywhere from 3,000 to 48,000 lives a year in this country, depending on the severity of the disease in a given flu season."

"A lot of people think of the flu as a pretty mild illness, right up until they get it themselves," notes David Cennimo, an infectious disease physician and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Yet the Centers for Disease Control "reports that nearly 60 percent of adults and 43 percent of children were not vaccinated in the most recent reporting year."

Yes, it's all about what gets our attention. So having read this far, if you haven't already done so, get flu shots for you and your family, and talk them up among your friends and neighbors. Hereabouts, they've been available at our local CVS pharmacy store. Churches and retirement communities, among others, ought to have leads on other sources.

blog comments powered by Disqus

About the Author

Doug Bedell has a background in journalism and PR and is the owner of Resource Relations LLC in Central PA, focusing on organizational and crisis communication. He’s the community manager of SimplyFair.net, a social network on fairness. On the Web, Doug’s at www.ResourceRelations.com. On Twitter, he’s @DougBeetle.

Flack Me on