The Swine Flu was big news earlier this year and then it seemed like right when everybody got themselves braced for the worst it totally fizzled out and was a bit of a dud (by pandemic standards). And although that’s obviously a good thing, we’ve all been hearing rumors that it could make a comeback this fall and be bigger and badder than ever, especially for children and the elderly.
So the government has been making all the usual “stay healthy” recommendations like encouraging people to practice good hand washing and get vaccinated (when and if a vaccine is available) but they’re also suggesting something a little unorthodox this year: that working parents come up with a backup plan for childcare in case their kids get the virus and have to stay home from school.
Most parents just use a personal day or get permission to work from home when their kids are sick, but if H1N1 sweeps the nation as widely as feared it could leave businesses of all kinds facing a crippling number of employee absences. So plan ahead now by talking to your boss and family and figuring out how you’ll handle an H1N1 attack at your house — if you’re unlucky enough to find yourself with a sick kid at home and no one to babysit you might not get much sympathy since you can’t say you weren’t warned!
(Photo courtesy of mollypop on Flickr)
