Jessica Kelly | News Editor
kellyj4@imail.losrios.edu
With the flu season quickly approaching and the second wave of swine flu (H1N1) expected to hit the northern hemisphere in September (peaking in mid-October), the City College administration is taking necessary precautions to keep it out of the school, including sanitation, education and consultation.
The steps taken by City College may slow the spread of the feared flu, but will not prevent it altogether.
“We’re trying to get the H1N1 vaccine on campus; on Oct. 5 and 6 we’re going to have the regular seasonal flu vaccines in Café One and the cafeteria. The vaccine for H1N1 will not be included… because it won’t be developed by then.”
According to City College nurse Wendy Gomez (whose information came straight from the Center for Disease Control), “H1N1 is a virus that nobody has, or very few people have, immunity to. Right now 90 to 98 percent of people that have flu-like symptoms have H1N1. It’s that pervasive throughout our community.”
Because of this problem, the U.S. government is developing a vaccine for the much-feared swine flu with great urgency.
The Obama administration–referring to a report by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology–claims that the flu could possibly kill 30,000 to 90,000 Americans this season. The U.S. government reports that the cost of the vaccination program could climb as high as $18 billion.
Gomez assures students that college-age men and women are not at a high risk of death from H1N1. “It’s only deadly for those who have underlying medical conditions.”
According to Gomez, the major symptoms include “a fever over a 100 degrees, accompanied
by cough, sore throat, body aches and diarrhea. Nausea and vomiting are not as common, only showing up in some cases.”
Strangely, many professionals are siding against the government and CDC, warning citizens not to get vaccinated. Barbara Fisher, the president and co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, believes the vaccinating of adults and children to be an “outrage.”
The City College Web page has posted a notification detailing the symptoms of H1N1, how it spreads, and what students can do to prevent from catching the flu. Gomez continues, “We are highly encouraging students to get both the regular seasonal vaccine and H1N1.”
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