College students sometimes ignore important issues until they are affected directly. Just as a lot of students aren't worried about the economy and lack of jobs because they are still in school, many people may not be afraid of the H1N1 virus because, chances are, no one they know has contracted the virus.
The President's Council of advisors on Science and Technology reported the upcoming flu season could see 30,000 to 90,000 deaths on top of the normal 30,000. Colleges and universities across the country, including Ball State, have plans in place to deal with pandemics. Ball State has updated its policy several times since the H1N1 scare began in the Spring. They are preparing to deal with a legitimate threat.
We aren't trying to scare you into boarding up your houses, walking around in haz-mat suits or quarantining yourself from the community. More than likely, no one at Ball State will die of H1N1. But responsible citizens have to be aware of the issue, the symptoms and prevention techniques.
The Center for Disease Control said college students are a high risk group to contract H1N1. It makes sense that college campuses would be highly susceptible to any virus. Unhealthy diets and sleep schedules lower the immune system. Close living quarters and pedestrians packed shoulder to shoulder on sidewalks make claiming new victims easier for a virus.
Prevention can be as easy as taking precautions some people take every year for flu season. The Center for Disease Control offers the following tips to stay healthy: cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and throw the tissue in the trash after using it. Influenza is transferred mostly through coughing and sneezing. Wash your hands with soap and water often, especially after coughing or sneezing, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth and avoid close contact with sick people.
The Amelia T. Wood Health Center will receive vaccines for the virus in October or November. They will be free and it could only help to get one. Kent Bullis, director of the Health Center, said if nobody got the shot anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of campus could become infected.
Do yourself and the people you live, work, go to class or hang out with a favor and take notice of the issue and take precautions to avoid getting sick.
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