Miscellaneous Wednesdays: Final edit of my H1N1 report on the Holidays

If anyone was wondering how it turned out:

As I've been posting my story, I've replaced the interviewee's names, for their privacy and my amusement...

H1N1 for the Holidays

By Jennifer

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,” said [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?”

[Ginny Weasley], a Drexel University student, is less worried about getting ill at home than returning to school for the winter term.  “I think people could go home and get it from someone at home, then bring it back here, spread it around to their friends and then possibly spread it among the Drexel Community [again.]”  Weasley seemed rather at ease about the spreading sickness.  She has not let the scare change her daily routines nor did it cross her mind that it could affect her travels home for the holidays.  When asked if she was concerned about herself or any loved ones contracting anything this season, she said, “I’m a little worried but not to the extent that I’m changing my habits.”

In general for this flu season, the knowledge appears to be across the board to keep practicing good hygiene.  Ms. McGonagall suggested washing hands routinely and social distancing.  But mostly, “They just need to be aware.”

[Madame Pomfrey], co-medical director of the Drexel University Student Health Center, also advised in an August Drexel Medcast that, “frequent hand-washing and covering your cough and avoiding close contact with infected individuals can decrease the spread of virus.”  [She] acknowledged that the most important, yet under-utilized, method to staying healthy is to, “Wash your hands or use antibiotic hand cleanser.”

Well into the holiday season, vaccines are still available at Drexel University to Drexel affiliates, according to a recently released campus announcement.  Those who wish to receive the vaccine must show their Drexel ID at either the Student Health Center on the Main Campus or the sixth floor of 219 Broad Street on the Center City campus.  Quantities are limited and appointments are required.