Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Edit Desk: H1N1: nothing we should sneeze at
By KAITLIN DEAN
Issue date: 11/10/09
Section: Opinion
President Barack Obama recently declared the swine flu pandemic a national emergency to bring attention to its seriousness. Today and tomorrow at Lamberton Hall between 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., Lehigh will be issuing free - yes, free - swine flu vaccinations. The H1N1 virus has been terrorizing students, both in realization and in fear of its potential effect at any time.
To put this in perspective, let's look at the most recent historical national states of emergency. Two major examples include the devastation in New York City in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the destruction of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The swine flu pandemic differs in emotional caliber, but requires the same amount of attention. Students don't realize what kind of effect swine flu will have unless they get some cold knowledge on the subject.
Lehigh seems to be especially hard hit with swine flu - an e-mail from Associate Dean of Students Susan Lantz on Friday said that her office has received more than 600 H1N1 report forms.
The Lehigh community has been given many preventative measures. However, it seems that many students don't take the swine flu pandemic seriously. With what we know about swine flu, it is easy for me to see the facts. There is a reason why our president called for this state of heightened awareness.
First, college campuses include a number of students living in closed, confined environments. So, H1N1 can quickly be spread by a sneeze from, say, Richards to the Hawk's Nest to Maginnes to the whole campus. Put a large group of people together sharing things like dorm rooms, a bathroom and classroom spaces, it is bound to be a recipe for disastrous and ill-strickening conclusions (pun intended).
Second, we all know that most Lehigh students do not like to miss classes and fall behind. The amount of work students fall behind on by their first missed class can make being quarantined for a week almost impossible. But, professors are being sympathetic and flexible with their deadlines. Coaches, peers and club presidents should be doing the same.
There is also that small group of students who prefer getting the illness and treating it rather than getting a shot. A recent poll in the Washington Post-ABC News stated that nearly seven out of 10 people in the 18-to-29 age group said they did not plan to heed warnings to get vaccinated. This age group is primarily us, you, the Lehigh student.
Therefore, you could end up being one of those unlucky ones. And even if you only get the mild version, you could pass the illness to family members and roommates.
Some other students might express their dislike of needles or they do not want to pay for a vaccine. So, get over your fear - Lehigh is offering it for free!
If a student feels that not getting this shot is worth the risk to his or her health, I wonder: Wouldn't the best case be avoiding the flu altogether? Doing nothing is risky, even if the odds are low. A vaccination is documented as an effective preventative measure for the illness, which I believe is a lot better than being essentially unprotected.
In short, some students can just ignore the talk and discussion along with the warning not to get vaccinated. I strongly encourage sick students not to come to class or other places where they could infect someone else.
I find it difficult to boycott or avoid this vaccine. The seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines are needed to prevent a detrimental and shocking flu season. This vaccine will most importantly and above all help with the rapid spreading of these illnesses on our campus. Getting a vaccine can help stop the illness in its tracks instead of allowing it to spread from roommate to friend to classmate. I just find it a little frightening to see the number of cases of swine flu increase.
As the swine flu vaccine comes to Lehigh today, I hope many students make the decision to travel up to Lamberton Hall to get the vaccine. The benefits of the vaccine, which authorities say is as safe as the seasonal flu shot, far outweigh any risk of side effects. All these ideas may seem strong and overly zealous, but they can slow down this sickness from affecting any more students on this campus. If you don't find my argument compelling then you can consider getting the shot knowing classes at Lehigh are hard enough without a disease spreading like wildfire.
http://media.www.thebrownandwhite.c...e.At-3826128.shtml?refsource=collegeheadlines
By KAITLIN DEAN
Issue date: 11/10/09
Section: Opinion
President Barack Obama recently declared the swine flu pandemic a national emergency to bring attention to its seriousness. Today and tomorrow at Lamberton Hall between 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., Lehigh will be issuing free - yes, free - swine flu vaccinations. The H1N1 virus has been terrorizing students, both in realization and in fear of its potential effect at any time.
To put this in perspective, let's look at the most recent historical national states of emergency. Two major examples include the devastation in New York City in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the destruction of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The swine flu pandemic differs in emotional caliber, but requires the same amount of attention. Students don't realize what kind of effect swine flu will have unless they get some cold knowledge on the subject.
Lehigh seems to be especially hard hit with swine flu - an e-mail from Associate Dean of Students Susan Lantz on Friday said that her office has received more than 600 H1N1 report forms.
The Lehigh community has been given many preventative measures. However, it seems that many students don't take the swine flu pandemic seriously. With what we know about swine flu, it is easy for me to see the facts. There is a reason why our president called for this state of heightened awareness.
First, college campuses include a number of students living in closed, confined environments. So, H1N1 can quickly be spread by a sneeze from, say, Richards to the Hawk's Nest to Maginnes to the whole campus. Put a large group of people together sharing things like dorm rooms, a bathroom and classroom spaces, it is bound to be a recipe for disastrous and ill-strickening conclusions (pun intended).
Second, we all know that most Lehigh students do not like to miss classes and fall behind. The amount of work students fall behind on by their first missed class can make being quarantined for a week almost impossible. But, professors are being sympathetic and flexible with their deadlines. Coaches, peers and club presidents should be doing the same.
There is also that small group of students who prefer getting the illness and treating it rather than getting a shot. A recent poll in the Washington Post-ABC News stated that nearly seven out of 10 people in the 18-to-29 age group said they did not plan to heed warnings to get vaccinated. This age group is primarily us, you, the Lehigh student.
Therefore, you could end up being one of those unlucky ones. And even if you only get the mild version, you could pass the illness to family members and roommates.
Some other students might express their dislike of needles or they do not want to pay for a vaccine. So, get over your fear - Lehigh is offering it for free!
If a student feels that not getting this shot is worth the risk to his or her health, I wonder: Wouldn't the best case be avoiding the flu altogether? Doing nothing is risky, even if the odds are low. A vaccination is documented as an effective preventative measure for the illness, which I believe is a lot better than being essentially unprotected.
In short, some students can just ignore the talk and discussion along with the warning not to get vaccinated. I strongly encourage sick students not to come to class or other places where they could infect someone else.
I find it difficult to boycott or avoid this vaccine. The seasonal flu and swine flu vaccines are needed to prevent a detrimental and shocking flu season. This vaccine will most importantly and above all help with the rapid spreading of these illnesses on our campus. Getting a vaccine can help stop the illness in its tracks instead of allowing it to spread from roommate to friend to classmate. I just find it a little frightening to see the number of cases of swine flu increase.
As the swine flu vaccine comes to Lehigh today, I hope many students make the decision to travel up to Lamberton Hall to get the vaccine. The benefits of the vaccine, which authorities say is as safe as the seasonal flu shot, far outweigh any risk of side effects. All these ideas may seem strong and overly zealous, but they can slow down this sickness from affecting any more students on this campus. If you don't find my argument compelling then you can consider getting the shot knowing classes at Lehigh are hard enough without a disease spreading like wildfire.
http://media.www.thebrownandwhite.c...e.At-3826128.shtml?refsource=collegeheadlines