You and the Flu! Easy Ways to Prevent H1N1
September 25, 2009 | Megan
We are bombarded with numerous concerns from the outside media and news about Swine flu or H1N1, but the worrisome hype is more widespread on campus. The University staff and Health Center on campus try to warn and educate us about this new kind of flu. Numerous hand sanitizers have been placed strategically around campus. They are in the library, the gym, cafeterias, random lecture halls, and just about everywhere I look in hopes that students will use them and stay flu-free.
The drugstores on campus even have specials on hand sanitizer sprays and Germ-ex. Are they really hoping to keep the campus clean or are they just trying to take advantage of the hype
People get worked up when illness starts to spread because it’s like we have no control over it. It’s true, we can’t stop the person next to us from sneezing on us during class. We can’t help it if we forget to use the hand-sanitizer after we already pop a piece of gum in our mouths, or if a friend who unknowingly has H1N1 uses our cellphone to make a call. It’s easy to get sick on campus if you don’t take preventative steps to keep yourself healthy.
We could all benefit by practicing a couple of easy behaviors to prevent us from contracting the virus. I was thinking of everyday occurrences on campus that are so second-nature we may not think twice about them. These occurrences are either avoidable or worthy of remembering so the next time they happen you’ll have that Germ-Ex at the ready.
1. Guys who give each other hand shakes, whether it be as a “Hey, how’s
it goin?” or “Yeah, we’re in the same frat!” are not doing themselves a favor by engaging in the skin-to-skin contact. Something as innocent as a hand shake or a fist pound could scandalously spread the flu if one of these guys didn’t wash his hands after using the restroom. Disgusting? Maybe. But it’s the truth. And come on…sometimes college kids don’t have enough time in the day for 100% perfect hygiene. Brushing teeth twice a day is a rarity.
2. Using the keyboards in the public computer labs and library seems innocent…After all, you’re just a studious kid trying to get some work done. And then BAM! the bacteria-infected keyboard comes into contact after you rub your eyes in exhaustion. If you are forced to use the public keyboards just think about all the hundreds of other hands who have used the same keyboard that week. It may make remembering the hand sanitizer a little easier.
3. The door handles to the public lecture halls and restrooms should be avoided at all costs. Use a papertowel when you grab the handle to exit the restroom. You’re not being lazy by not touching the doorknob, you’re being smart!
4. Resist the urge to share a cup at a party. You may be saving a
couple of bucks, but by refusing to use your own cup you could be sacrificing your health. If your oblivious friend is sick by tomorrow you will be too. (This goes for sharing utensils and food as well…it seems easier to share but in the long run it’s not worth getting sick over.)
5. Stop biting your fingernails or picking your nose! Gross innocuous habits like these could come back to bite you in the immune system. Both contain skin-to-skin contact and could easily spread bacteria.
6.Wipe down the machines before and after you use them at the gym. If you don’t wipe them down beforehand only the people after you will enjoy a clean workout.
H1N1 is contagious, but it is possible to prevent the spread! No need to freak out, as long as you remember to keep that mini-hand sanitizer in your backpack.
