If you have watched the news lately, you would know that the flu is bad this year. It is so bad that the Center for Disease Control said that it reached epidemic levels. The CDC’s weekly report for influenza week five (January 27 – February 2, 2013) stated, “The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) was above the epidemic threshold” and “Fourteen pediatric deaths were reported.” The flu should be taken seriously and precautions need to be taken so we don’t get it.
The CDC has tips to help prevent the flu and some of these ways can be applied in school so that we don’t get sick. One of the ways is to “wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.” It is a good idea to do this after you cough or sneeze but it is very inconvenient and takes way too much time to go to the bathroom to wash your hands every single time. You could use hand sanitizer but not every class has that. I believe that the school should provide hand sanitizer for every classroom to help prevent us from getting sick.
Another recommendation is to “clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.” These surfaces and areas would be those that are commonly touched by multiple people such as computer keyboards, desks, and doorknobs. How many surfaces do you touch on a normal school day? How many people use those surfaces before you touch them? It’s probably a good amount of people, but it only takes one ill person to get you sick. There is a rather simple solution to this problem, though. The custodians and teachers could use a disinfectant such as Lysol. It would only take a few seconds to do, so what could it harm.
I know that these solutions would cost the school a little bit of money, but isn’t it worth it? The school receives money based on student attendance, so the fewer people that are sick, the more money the school receives. It’s a win-win situation. The students wouldn’t get ill as often and the school would receive more money. Now flu season is almost over, so it might not seem cost efficient to start doing this, but people are always getting sick. So it might be a wise and cost effective idea to do this once a week. Even every other week or once a month would be better than never doing it. I’m sure that the school would be able to buy hand sanitizer and some kind of disinfectant in bulk and save a little money.
I don’t know if the school will do this or not, but the student body can take precautions themselves. First of all, if you are sick and possibly contagious, just stay home. Don’t risk getting everyone around you sick too. A couple days off of school could help you get better a little faster and help prevent it from spreading. Second, cover your month when you cough or sneeze. Don’t cough all over someone and get them sick. Last, it would be a good idea to carry some hand sanitizer with you. Some students are already doing this and it helps prevent them from getting sick. You should probably use it after you cough or sneeze, tough commonly used surfaces, and before you eat. This will help prevent germs from spreading and keep you and your fellow students from getting ill.