How many times have you flinched and scooted away from the kid who sneezed in class? How many conscious thoughts have filtered through your mind labeling his or her “sniffle” as a symptom of the swine flu? It has crossed everyone’s mind. Face it; we are all paranoid about the H1N1 outbreak.
By Tiffany Gilbert
Editor in Chief
How many times have you flinched and scooted away from the kid who sneezed in class? How many conscious thoughts have filtered through your mind labeling his or her “sniffle” as a symptom of the swine flu? It has crossed everyone’s mind. Face it; we are all paranoid about the H1N1 outbreak.
H1N1 virus symptoms are very similar to the typical influenza. The common fever or chills, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, cough, body aches, lack of appetite, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea are all symptoms of this particular virus.
Deciding whether your symptoms are those of the regular influenza or the H1N1 virus can only be determined by your doctor through lab tests.
Should you begin to develop flu-like symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone. The symptoms of the virus can appear from one to seven days after coming in contact with an infected person.
It is not recommended to visit the emergency room of your local hospital unless you are severely ill. Mild infections can be treated at home through drinking plenty of liquids, avoiding healthy friends and family, taking over-the-counter medications to relieve aches, and by remaining at home to relax.
Everyone has seen the posters around campus advising to continuously wash hands after using the restroom, before eating, after being in public, and basically after coming in contact with anyone and their property.
There are currently antiviral drugs that will help prevent infection to one’s immune system. Like the seasonal flu-shot, the H1N1 vaccination is mainly used to treat sick people who are most likely to contract serious complications. It has been recommended that children under two years old and those over 65 with serious health problems should receive the vaccination.
The H1N1 virus is not a new discovery. In fact, in 1918, a similar flu outbreak infected and killed an estimated 675,000 people in America. With the new adaptation of science and medicine, it is unlikely that a pandemic will result in such a high loss of life. Within months of the first diagnosis of the H1N1 virus in March 2009, the vaccine was developed.
There is a common misconception floating around that the H1N1 is this fatal virus that will destroy anyone who contracts it. The truth is that the H1N1 outbreak is just as dangerous as the typical influenza. Therefore, a normal, healthy adult will most likely not suffer any farther complications from the virus than the customary flu symptoms.
The scariest idea about the outbreak is the unfamiliarity and mystery of it. Sure, there is a new virus that is affecting people, but it is no more severe than the regular flu. Perhaps the mysterious outcome and the “what if’s” are what people are frightened of.
When it comes to taking precautions, there is the necessary checklist to follow: wash hands, do not breathe on others, and avoid potentially sick people.
Around the community, there has been chatter about some drastic measures being taken, especially by parents of little ones. When the child coughs, some parents are so cautious, they will immediately stick a thermometer in the youngin’s, mouth searching for a radical change in body temperature. Then the poor kid is exempt from preschool for an entire week. Go ahead and poke fun at the overly-protective parent. Those are two-less germy hands you have to worry about infecting the environment in which you meander.
Now back to the kid in class who sneezes. I know you are all thinking it, and you would like to quarantine this student, “just in case.” This twenty-something year old student is not going to miss a week’s worth of class just because of the sniffles. That is where I recommend Germ-X and avoiding borrowing this person’s writing utensils. But if you must use a pen from this potentially infected student, I suggest packing a few Lysol wipes and giving the Bic a quick wipe-down, “just in case.”
Sure, before I said that the H1N1 virus is just as dangerous as the normal flu, however, I never said I was not germaphobic. In class I seem like the average student, willing to type notes and occasionally browse the web during lectures with the click of a mouse. But as soon as class is dismissed, I whip out my antibacterial soap and cleanse the microscopic, hazardous bacteria off of my hands.
It is common sense to do these things to help protect yourself and others and if possible, to help avoid spreading of the virus just by following the guidelines and a few suggestions.