What started as a easy punch line for late night comedians has become no laughing matter over the summer.
H1N1 flu virus, also known as the “Swine Flu,” has killed 522 people over the last six months and over 8,000 have been hospitalized. However the introduction of the new H1N1 vaccine should change all this.
High risk areas of the country will receive the first 600 million doses distributed this October. This process will require several shots over a five-week period.
“We’re not sure how many people will be vaccinated in advance,” said Cheryl Crawley, Superintendent of Great Falls Public Schools in Dekalb County in Georgia.
In the meantime, extra precautions in schools, both private and public, are being taken. Schools with high contamination are being temporarily shut down. Hand sanitizers and hand-soap are being added to many school-supply lists. Students are being encouraged to stay home if they exhibit fast or troubled breathing, abnormal skin color changes, vomiting, irritability beyond the normal, fever, coughing, abdominal or chest pain, dizziness, noticeable confusion, sore throat, stuffy nose, headaches, chills, fatigue or diarrhea. The virus is highly contagious so students are asked not to come to school for at least 24 hours after the symptoms have gone.
“I had a cough, a fever and my throat hurt. Everyone in my house had to get pills,” said Lillie Free, a junior at Chapin High.
Everyone is vulnerable and precautions should be taken to avoid the spread of H1N1.