Nearly two weeks ago President Barack Obama declared the swine flu pandemic a national emergency. To put this in perspective, recent past national states of emergency include the aftermaths of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and of Hurricane Katrina. Young people are being hit especially hard with swine flu as some grade schools have even been closed. For some the flu has had very tragic consequences. We've been given all the preventative measures, but it does not seem that everyone is taking the swine flu pandemic seriously. The living situations and the large groups of people in proximity to each other make the University an easy target to the swine flu. Some students, however, are contributing to the spread of the illness.
The Center for Disease Control has asked teachers to excuse students for the swine flu, and the University is following this policy. The work students miss is very difficult, and sometimes missing one day could make a difference. However, students who cough every breath need to stay out of class. Not only is it distracting, coughing is the main way that this particular flu spreads. It's pretty selfish to come to class with symptoms or knowing you have the swine flu considering how easily it can be spread to your classmates. Fortunately, the University's professors are pretty lenient as far as excusing the flu. Rest is very important in getting over these illnesses. Therefore, sick students should avoid class and rest. Not only will they get healthier, they will help slow down the spread of swine flu.
In addition, getting even just the seasonal flu shot will also help the swine flue pandemic. Because we are facing a kind of double flu season, preventing the spread of influenza will allow for more resources to be used on the much more recent H1N1 pandemic strain. Unfortunately, this is a debate at this school. Unlike the swine flu vaccination, the flu shot is readily available for all students. Yet there are students who prefer getting the illness and treating it rather than getting a shot. Influenza doesn't hit everyone the same and college might be one of the hardest places to get over the illness. Some students do not like needles or they do not want to pay for the vaccine. Many feel that not getting a shot is worth the risk. Wouldn't the best case scenario be avoiding the flu altogether? A vaccination is 75 percent effective in completely preventing the illness, which is a lot better than being virtually unprotected. All cases of seasonal flu can't be prevented, but getting the vaccination will definitely help. Just to be clear, the seasonal flu shot provides no medical protection against the swine flu. However, if more students are vaccinated against the flu, Student Health and the flu clinics won't need to dedicate as much time to influenza, and more help can be provided to swine flu sufferers.
Recently, the swine flu vaccination is being distributed to those at the highest risk. Unfortunately, at this point, it is basically unavailable to students. When the swine flu vaccine becomes available, students need to be active about receiving it. Washington Post staff writer Rob Stein notes "public wariness" about swine flu in an October article; a Harvard School of Public Health poll indicated that only 40 percent of Americans are certain they will get the vaccine. Since the vaccine has been administered, it is proving relatively effective in about eight days in most human immune systems. The Elson Student Health Center's Web site has the total number of flu-like cases at about 620, although it changes every day. Influenzas are ever-changing, which is why we get the flu shot every year. Since the swine flu vaccine has been proven pretty effective, students should focus on getting it as soon as possible before H1N1 changes. Before the vaccine, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology predicted half of the population being hit with swine flu, the Post article said. Refusing to take the vaccine is just going to maintain this alarming number. Considering flu season spans through the winter, a large number of students could get the swine flu right around finals and during the holiday season. Hopefully, as the vaccine becomes more available, some students won't have the same attitudes about avoiding it as they do with the seasonal flu shot.
Swine flu was declared a national emergency to bring attention to its seriousness. Some students are being cavalier about this flu despite the warning not to. Sick or infected students need not to come to class or other places where they could possibly infect someone else. Also, there should not be so much of a debate over vaccines. The seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines are needed to prevent a devastating flu season. These vaccines will most importantly help with the rapid spreading of these illnesses. Getting a vaccine can help stop the illness in its tracks instead of allowing it to spread from roommate to friend to classmate. It is a little frightening to see the number of cases of swine flu. These steps can slow down these influenzas, because classes at the University are hard enough without a potentially-deadly disease spreading like wildfire.
Tiffany Morris' column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at t.morris@cavalierdaily.com.
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