Swine Flu: How Frightening Can It Be?

10/08/2009

By Molly Sherwood and Whitney Harrigan
Staff Writers
Illustration by Dan Schoeneck

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"I personally challenge the swine flu to get me: bring it on," jokes assistant student counselor Will Hartley.

H1N1, commonly known as the swine flu, is a highly contagious form of influenza that is sweeping nations with death. In one week the swine flu caused 625 deaths worldwide, according to MSNBC.

However, students, at Jamesville-DeWitt High School don't seem phased in the least. They seem to be doing little to nothing about the possible pandemic; most are simply using hand sanitizer a couple times a day. Only 15 out of 39 students said they were concerned about getting the virus.

Teachers seem to have a similar attitude toward the disease. Though English teacher Terri Skeele is aware of the seriousness of swine flu, which she calls the "could be plague," she is not very worried about getting the virus. Nevertheless, she protects herself by keeping hand sanitizers around her classroom for student use, and washing her hands regularly. When the vaccine comes out, Mrs. Skeele plans to get it.

Chorus teacher, Beth Quackenbush, and English teacher, Connie Myers-Kelly share Mrs. Skeele's views. Mrs. Quackenbush is more concerned about young children, and pregnant women getting the disease.

Mr. Hartley is even less worried. He is not taking any precautions in his office or at home. Mr. Hartley believes hand sanitizer is useless. "Hand sanitizer makes you weaker. The people that use it are sissies," he teases. It is hard for Mr. Hartley to wrap his mind around the fact that swine flue could potentially become another plague.

Though freshman Mckenzie Kallquist believes that protection is "an individual thing," the school is taking precautions. School nurse Holly Adolfi says that J-DHS teachers are educating their students about the swine flu using posters, newsletters and constant reminders to wash hands.

But is the swine flu the problem many are predicting? Mrs. Adolfi says, "Whether it is or not, is yet to be seen."

For a first-hand account of what swine flue is like see Noah Kaplan's article