Should you call in sick to work?

In a tough economy you certainly don’t want to put your job in jeopardy, however, putting the health of everyone you work with in jeopardy might not be the better choice.

Not only is this cold and flu season but holiday stress and activity can take it’s toll, as well.

Make sure that you can maintain distance and avoid contact with others.

Wash hands often and try not to share office equipment.

Consider your job; serving food? Waiting on clients or supervising young children, immunocompromised or the elderly could make your illness a real health threat to others

A few more things to consider:

How well can you carry out your work duties?

If you’re feeling quite sick, “you’re going to have a hard time functioning and performing at your normal level,” Cummins says.

Are you contagious?

If you have a viral or bacterial illness, you’ll expose your coworkers and they in turn will infect others. Staying home when you’re sick helps to curb germs in the community. “It’s to contain the illness,” Cummins says.

Will resting at home help your body to overcome the illness?

“We see a lot of worsening symptoms because people will just not stop and rest. They want to go; they want to be able to do everything that they normally do,” Cummins says. “What they don’t understand is that they’re pushing themselves to the point where they’re actually a lot sicker at the end of two to four days than they would have been if they had just taken that first day off and let their body fight the infection.”

Are you taking medications that could impair your ability to think, work, operate machinery, or drive?

Let’s say, for example, that you’ve been prescribed Vicodin for back pain and it’s causing fuzzy thinking. “If you’re so sick that you’re using opiates or any controlled substance to control pain, you really need to stay home,” Cummins says. “You shouldn’t be driving, and you could have your performance impaired or it could even be dangerous.”

The U.N. could be influenced by special interest groups who have a financial stake in keeping the population ill.

“There are clear conflicts for the corporations that contribute to and profit from the sales of alcoholic beverages, foods with high fat, salt, and sugar contents, and tobacco products — all of which are important causes of NCDs,” they wrote.

“Failure to address these concerns will undermine the development of competent policy … and the confidence the global community and the public at large have in the UN’s and WHO’s ability to govern and advance public health.”