Wouldn’t it be nice if you could immune yourself from traffic? Rude or obnoxious people? The complainers in your organization? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could “vaccinate” ourselves against specific things or people? Unfortunately, these toxic people and situations are the association dues we must pay for being alive.
Although vaccinating ourselves against the less-pleasant people in life is beyond the realm of modern medical science, what our current vaccines can do is still pretty powerful.
But here’s the thing about vaccination success: It can lead to complacency. Recently, we’ve seen outbreaks of measles and whooping cough, and many experts believe these spikes are caused by parents refusing to vaccinate their children. When this happens, it can threaten the health of the unvaccinated child and other children in the community.
That’s why we can’t let our guard down, and why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes August as National Immunization Month.
Reach out to the schools in your community to ensure children are up to date on vaccines as they head back to school. School-age children, from preschoolers to college students, need vaccines. Shots may hurt a little, but the diseases they can prevent are a lot worse. Also, include information about other vulnerable groups in your outreach. Those over 60 should receive the shingles vaccine. Those over 65, as well as those with certain medical conditions, should get the pneumonia (PCV13) vaccine. And everyone who is healthy enough should receive an annual flu vaccine!
Finally, remember that washing your hands is like a “do-it-yourself” vaccine. It involves five simple and effective steps—wet, lather, scrub, rinse, dry—to keep you healthy. Regular hand-washing, particularly before and after certain activities, is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick and prevent the spread of germs to others.
Now, if we could just make a soap that could wash away annoying people!