by: Erica Scott '10
H1N1, more commonly known as Swine Flu, had everyone scared of contracting it last year. The symptoms were the same as the regular flu strain: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, chills, headache and fatigue; however H1N1 can show more serious side effects in both adults and children which can require immediate hospitalization. In children these side effects can include, but are not limited to: fast/troubled breathing, a bluish or grey skin tone, difficulty waking up or responding, and being too irritable to be held. Adults’ symptoms are the same, but adults can also show confusion or experience dizziness.
WHS Principal Mr. Broderick and the nurses agree that our school will not be hit any harder by H1N1 than the regular flu, but Mr. Broderick, who has a daughter in college, says there are more precautions being taken at the college level. Last year H1N1 effected more colleges than high schools with many colleges designating empty dorms for sick students, or cancelling classes.
Although people considered H1N1 to be much more of an epidemic last year than they do now, there are still people who are expecting the worst. There are many ways to help protect yourself from the virus:
1. Cover your mouth or nose with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze.
2. Wash your hands with soap and water frequently.
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
4. Avoid close contact with sick people.
5. If you show flu-like symptoms stay home! Stay home for at least 24 hours after fever is gone, except to get medical care.
6. Get enough sleep, drink fluids and eat well.
Certain people are getting hit harder by H1N1 than others, and no one is quite sure why. Usually the flu hits the elderly more, but they seem to have built up immunity to it, because fewer causes are being recorded among people 60 and older. The groups who are being hit the hardest are children under 5, pregnant women, and people of any age with previous medical conditions. Some of the previous conditions that are causing people to get hit harder by H1N1 are: asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or a weakened immune system.
People seem to think that H1N1 is a worse flu than the regular flu, but that isn’t the case. Approximately 436 people have died in the U.S. from H1N1 which is nothing compared to the 36,000-40,000 deaths each year from the seasonal flu. Also, around 6,500 people have been hospitalized from H1N1, and there are more than 226,000 hospitalizations each year from the seasonal flu.
There are many reasons people fear H1N1 more than the seasonal flu. For one, H1N1 has spread very rapidly since it was introduced last spring, faster than people were used to. Second, it affects people who are otherwise healthy, unlike seasonal influenza which tends to attack people with a weakened immune system. Third, it’s new. People don’t know what to expect from it, and they don’t know who will be affected next. Also, people keep getting H1N1 during the summer, which is usually a quiet time for the flu when not many people tend to catch seasonal influenza.
H1N1 isn’t a sickness people should fear, but it is something they should know is out there and take the precautions to protect themselves.