In light of the added H1N1 complication to this year’s flu season, there are two things we all need to do: wash our hands and calm down.
H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, is causing quite the ruckus on campus and around the nation, but in reality, all the hubbub is much ado about nothing.
Some symptoms of swine flu include fever, cough, sore throat, headache, chills, fatigue and a runny nose. Sound familiar? It’s because they are the same symptoms as the regular flu. Along with matching symptoms, both versions of the flu spread the same way and have the same treatment.
When it comes down to it, they really are not that different. Swine flu is just a different strain of the regular flu.
But people are taking it much too seriously.
On Monday, 200 to 300 people waited in line outside the Wood County Health Department clinic to get their free H1N1 shots. The clinic was open all afternoon and ran out of the injections an hour before it was set to end.
Bottles of hand sanitizer are being shuffled on campus and some parents are even keeping their children home from schools.
In some residence halls on campus, students are writing anti-swine flu messages on dry erase boards, such as “Swine flu is NOT welcome here,” “Swine flu is not welcome here either” and “Don’t shake hands cuz you prolly didn’t wash yours.”
We realize these messages are probably a joke, but it’s evident the swine flu hype has invaded students’ minds.
A Wood County Health Department official said H1N1 is already in the county. Yet, the world continues to turn.
It seems every day we are reminded through e-mails, commercials or public health announcements to take precautions to stop the spread of the swine flu.
But these precautions are really nothing more than common courtesy. We should already know not to cough in someone’s face or sneeze in our hands and rub them all over furniture and door handles. Stay in residence halls or apartments if you have flu symptoms. We shouldn’t need a new strain of the flu to remind us of that.
We understand health officials are trying to stop swine flu from becoming a massive breakout. People can die from the disease, but the regular flu can also cause death.
It’s not like we’re dealing with the bubonic plague.
We all just need to take a step back from the swine flu commotion, and give our time, energy and attention to more pressing matters — such as world peace.
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