HO HO HOLD the germs!
Yep a sign of the times-
All those snotty nosed kids, sneezing & sniffling their way up the line to visit Santa are a health risk.
RG reports:
Forget cookies and milk. Santa wants the swine flu vaccine.
Many of the men who dress up as Santa to entertain children in department stores want to be given priority for the vaccine and not just because of those runny-nosed kids. There’s also the not-so-little matter of that round belly. Research has suggested obesity could be a risk factor.
Swine flu has become such a concern that the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas featured a seminar on the illness at a recent conference in Philadelphia. The group also urged its members to use hand sanitizer and take vitamins to boost their immune systems.
The president of the organization said he also hopes parents will keep sick kids away.
“We don’t want any child to go without seeing Santa, but it’s not worth bringing your child to the mall, infecting the Santa and infecting the other children,” Nicholas Trolli said.
He recalled a boy who informed him last year that he had a fever and had stayed home from school. But, the child said, his mother thought it was a good day to visit Santa.
THIS WEEKS U.S. STATISTICS:
ADDITIONAL 8477 HOSPITALIZATIONS
ADDITIONAL 377 DEATHS
ADDITIONAL 45 PEDIATRIC DEATHS
422 TOTAL SWINE FLU FATALITIES THIS WEEK
U.S. Laboratory Confirmed Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations and Deaths from August 30 to November 14, 2009 Posted November 20, 2009, 11:00 AM ET Data reported to CDC by November 17, 2009, 12:00 AM ETCases Defined by | Hospitalizations | Deaths |
|---|
| Influenza Laboratory-Tests** | 26,315 | 1,049 |
*Reports can be based on syndromic, admission or discharge data, or a combination of data elements that could include laboratory-confirmed and influenza-like illness hospitalizations.
|
U.S. Influenza-associated Pediatric Mortality Posted November 20, 2009 (Updated each Friday) Data reported to CDC by November 14, 2009Date Reported | Laboratory-Confirmed 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pediatric Deaths | Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza A Subtype Unknown Pediatric Deaths | Laboratory-Confirmed SeasonalInfluenza | Total |
|---|
| This Week (Week 45, November 8-14, 2009) | 15 | 6 | 0 | 21 |
| Since August 30, 2009 | 113 | 25 | 0 | 138 |
| Cumulative since April 26, 2009 | 171 | 28 | 1 | 200 |
This table is based on data reported to CDC through the Influenza-Associated Pediatric Mortality Surveillance System. |
1 comment:
Who knew there is an Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas???
It make sense to me. If Purell had it together, Santa would have each kid cleanse hands first, then visit Santa.
Lately the weekly death toll just dropped under the 500 it had been, but them saying they think it has peaked-- just before all the holiday travel & heading into REAL flu season... bracing myself for what that will be like. They really should be encouraging people to maintain heightened hygiene.
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