Here is the newer version of the last article with some student insight. The next versions will be much different since Halloween is now over :(
For the last part, I replaced the interviewee's name, for her privacy and my amusement, with Minerva McGonagall... The student's name has been replaced with Luna Lovegood.
H1N1 for the Holidays
By Jennifer
Journalism Student
PHILADELPHIA - H1N1 has yet to hit its peak, but will the upcoming holidays bring it on? The first one up is Halloween.
“Halloween is going to be less dangerous where H1N1 is concerned than a Friday night dance, where a bunch of kids are packed into a hot sweaty cafeteria jumping up and down and possibly sharing spit and doing some other things,” says [Hogwarts] childcare administrator, [Minerva McGonagall]. The health department, along with the CDC, has been sending out alerts since this past spring to child care facilities, preparing them for this year’s flu season, including Halloween.
“First and foremost, be aware of your own children,” Ms. McGonagall warned. “It’s not always about what you’re going to get from somebody else, but what you could possibly be spreading.” The outdoor quality of Halloween will work in favor for this holiday. Health services do suggest “scooping” of candy for the children so that the possibility of transferring germs is decreased as much as possible.
Halloween aside, establishments around the country have been preparing for the brunt of the flu season for months. Schools and businesses have organized and delivered memos about proper healthcare. Facilities have stocked up on hand sanitizers and tissues to help encourage keeping it clean. Yet with all of the recent advisories, some remain unconvinced that this pandemic is anything new.
“I’m not really worried about the spread of swine flu, because I think it’s all a conspiracy,” said American University student, [Luna Lovegood]. “I think the media and Purell are making a lot of money from this.” Ms. Lovegood, an International Studies major, believes this flu is nothing new and not much bigger of a deal than the flu that strikes ever year. “There is a large amount of people that die from the regular flu every year, [so] why is there so much more emphasis on the deaths from swine flu?”
Despite her casual, if not reproachful, attitude toward the hype surrounding H1N1, Lovegood agrees that one of the most dangerous places for the virus to spread is on college campuses. What about when the campuses return home?
The real H1N1 danger seems to be coming with the Thanksgiving and December homecomings. “Colleges are a big melting pot,” states McGonagall. During August, colleges erupted with flu cases when students returned to campus. Intimate family gatherings for the holidays only hold the same potential danger. “Families don’t normally social distance. It’s a lot of touchy-feely. That’s what the holidays are all about. The hug, the kiss, the ‘Ooh, taste this.’ I think it’s just a breeding ground, but what can you do?”
In general for this flu season, Ms. McGonagall suggests washing hands routinely and social distancing. But mostly, “They just need to be aware.”
3 comments:
haha I love the Harry Potter references. Funny article I like it.
What ever, scooping kids candy for them so you don't get germs? That's kind of like, OCD, just a little bit, no? We need to stop pussyfooting around our immune systems like they can't fight things off because they are just going to lose their ability to do so if we don't keep our immunitys updated through environmental exposure.
Just don't be retarded about it, that's all, and you most likely wont get some wild fucking illness that kills you. Like, the scooping of candy is totally unnecessary, and if I were a child, I would not allow my candy to be scooped for me.
B,
The scooping was to help prevent the mass spreading of harmful bacteria and viruses to a generation that, similar to what you said, does not have the antibody capabilities of fighting such sicknesses.
And just so you know, I've just been informed of a child I know who is extremely I'll due to the spreading of such germs during this especially harsh flu/virus season.
I love that you're reading my blog! But as someone who I know well, please try to slightly censor yourself on my blog, which is slightly family oriented. ;)
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