It seems to be that time of year again: flu season. Apparently, the worry for this season is much higher than previous years because of the H1N1, or swine flu strain. The article, "Preparing for a Stressful Flu Season," shows families the precautions they should be taking and the symptoms they should be looking for to prevent a disaster of an illness.
Although we are in college and should have nothing to worry about, this problem could be a big one this fall. With the main target age for the disease to be from the range of children to young adults (college kids), this could pose a serious issue for not only this campus, but campuses across the country. According to the article, approximately 195 million vaccines will become available on October 15. However, with allergy season in full swing, a body's immune system is battling and may not be able to fend off a cold.
What if the disease comes a little sooner than expected? Sure, keeping clean and avoiding contact with others will help, but would it be enough to stop such a powerful disease such as H1N1? There aren't many worse places to try and protect from disease than a college campus. Even if strict guidelines for preventing a disease are posted frequently across the town, many of the students would not pay attention.
This poses a big problem for Plattsburgh and many other campuses, especially if the disease surfaces. Once here, the swine flu could either be thrown under the rug or made into a large panic. Hopefully the disease does not make it here, but if it does, we will have to follow the usual cleansing and vaccination tactics that are used every year for the flu.
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