They make me sick. All of the people that come to work and school sick, that is. I know it sounds harsh, but literally, they make me sick. And they make other people sick too.

I know that many people probably don’t want to miss work because there is just too much for them to do and they don’t want to burden others by having them cover for them. Or, because they just can’t afford to take the day off. Or, perhaps, their employer will penalize them for missing.

They think they are doing their bosses a favor by toughing it out. But really, they are doing their bosses, and co-workers for that matter, a disservice. According to a Jan. 26 newswire.com article titled “Cost of Presenteeism Surpasses Absenteeism” on the “Presenteeism, which refers to employees who come to work instead of staying at home, now surpasses $180 billion annually. Absenteeism, where the employee does not report to work, costs $118 billion annually and medical expenses.”

People also come to school sick. They spread their germs and then a quarter of the class is infected. Before you know it, the school is a breeding ground for viruses like influenza, aka the flu. It’s flu season, as we all know, and we have to take precautions.

I’m pretty sure we have all learned by now how to wash our hands and take everyday sanitary practices, and if you

haven’t learned the proper hand-washing procedures, there are helpful guides hanging in some businesses’ and Northern Kentucky University’s bathrooms on how to properly wash your hands. But that’s a whole other editorial. There are other defenses such as flu shots, which are available on NKU’s campus during the fall.

Almost everyone gets a little cough or runny nose from being out in the cold; that’s normal this time of year, but when you have a fever or you have already vomited three

times that morning, it’s probably a sure sign that you need to just stay in bed, and more importantly, stay home. We don’t want whatever it is that you have.

That’s right. We don’t want your fever or your chills, or your hugging-the-porcelain-god skills. We know you might have bills to pay, but so do we.

We know you don’t want to use one of your three allowed absences for the semester, but neither do we.

So please, once again, just stay home.