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A couple of month ago, authorities have warned about the fatal dangers of the Swine Flu, and some statistical projections have estimated tens of thousands of fatalities due to the H1N1 virus. Many experts have especially worried about college students, because dorms and other living quarters are configured to a small space that makes the spread of the virus easier.
As a college student, I was not particularly worried about the potential massive death that the H1N1 could have caused, partially due to my confidence in the medical system. I was rather annoyed by the media’s “fear mongering” of this development, because it was creating an unnecessary uneasiness in the public. Besides, more people have died from car accidents than from the virus since the outbreak began.
Nevertheless, many college students, including myself, exercised caution in our basic daily lives by emphasizing the basics: washing your hands, using alcohol based hand sanitizers, and washing your hands.
My college prepared for the worst case scenario by e-mailing students and parents regarding the H1N1 virus before the start of the academic year, and even installing an automatic alcohol hand sanitizer dispenser in the lobby of each dorm. The health services have continuously sent e-mails with updates regarding the vaccines, and at lunch there were representatives from the health services to answer potential questions from students.
I believe most of the colleges in the United States have did an outstanding job in preparing for the worst possible scenario, and I think it prevented any additional deaths than what we have now. Sure, the H1N1 has spread widely in college campuses, but most of the sick students were up in about a week or two.
Unfortunately, I am disappointed with the media’s handling of the story. They have cited apocalyptic projections without stating the limitations of those statistical analyses. They have chosen the most damning quotes from experts without providing a context of those messages. I am not accusing the entire journalism sector of exaggeration, but due to a few unfortunate poor news reports, the public is more confused.
