Paid sick days are a privilege in this country and low wage workers are not afforded that luxury. Getting the flu is a double whammy for them. Most of the low wage workers are the ones who are most in contact with the public…fast food, cashiers, vendors; they can’t afford to stay home. No show = No pay. Nor can they stay home and care for their sick family members.
HuffPost has an excellent article on exactly this subject.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/debra-l-ness/flu-paid-sick-days_b_2455898.html