Well, I can't blame them, really

Working around the public and taking public transportation with underlying health conditions bothered me more than my status as a hospital employee. Given that I work in a tertiary care unit and have minimal patient contact, I was pretty confident on that point. It's being out on the front lines of working with the public that is a bit scary, and if you happen to deal with thousands of snotty children, well, you're a better person than I, Santa.

Better not cough: Santas lobby for H1N1 shots: Group asks for priority since exposure to kids, being overweight raises risk

Forget cookies and milk. Santa wants the swine flu vaccine.

Many of the nation's Santas 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.

Infection control is such a big issue. We're handling our Santa visit a little differently than in past years. And I noticed this morning that there was not a single magazine in the lobby. Since I'm in charge of putting them there, and I'd had experience as a patient of Lexington Clinic where they'd removed theirs, I checked with the powers that be and we are holding off on magazines for the near future, which I think is a good idea. Every hospital I've seen has taken measures to strike a balance between good infection control and making things an antiseptic nightmare. I love what one of the Santas in the article said: 'I've had my H1N1. I've had my seasonal flu shot. This is my year for my pneumonia booster. I don't know what else I can do except encapsulate myself in plastic.'

Hopefully he won't have to do that. But I can tell you something that every parent can do to help protect Santa: If your child is ill, don't take him or her to see the Jolly Old Elf and interact with other children. Skip the trip to the mall. Come back another day. That helps keep everyone healthy.