I Wish I Could Bathe in Purell

After a short and sunny stroll home from my literature class, I high stepped up the stairs in double time, strode down the hallway to the door of my room, stretched the last remaining stiffness out of my back, and walked through the door contemplating an afternoon nap, only to come to realize that my roommate was wearing a white mask, and had swine flu. Now, she is in quarantine…as are half the girls in the hall. The other half of the girls have, in the last few hours, developed an obsession with disinfectant and vitamin c, and have adopted the mantra “you don’t have swine flu” every time we cough, or have a headache, or touch anything in the hall.

But, containing the virus is proving to be a big problem. We all share a bathroom, live in each other’s rooms, and even share one drinking fountain. To top things off, there have been outbreaks in several other dorms on campus as well. It seems that the only thing that is spreading faster than the flu itself is the gossip and anxiety about it. But, before we all break down in hysteria, CU is doing everything they can to combat an epidemic.

In the last few weeks, we have subtly seen signs telling us to wash our hands and cover our coughs appear on all public walls, and small clusters of industrial sized disinfectant and tissues gather on cashier’s counters and in dining halls. Emails have been flying around the campus discussing absence policies and emergency procedures.

Cu has created a website with everything you could possibly need to know about H1N1 at:
http://www.colorado.edu/safety/h1n1/prevention.html

But, to summarize their advice, H1N1 is spread between humans through physical contact or by sneezing or coughing on people or anything that multiple people touch. So to decrease your risk of catching the flu, practice healthy habits (sleep, exercise, eat right, don’t drink to excess), wash your hands often with soap and hot water, take advantage of the disinfectants offered by the university in public places, sanitize anything that you share with others (like your buff one card), and encourage others to seek medical attention IMMEDIATELY if they are experiencing any of the following symptoms: dizziness, fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, diarrhea, or vomiting. Since Swine Flu is very contagious, officials are urging anyone feeling ill to stay home.

If you are confirmed to have Swine Flu, university policy is to quarantine anyone with H1N1 until they are completely clear of symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine to prevent Swine Flu and there are no medications that can cure you of the virus. However, CU does what it can to provide for its sick students. If you are living in the resident halls and are quarantined, the university will provide you with a quarantine box of chicken noodle soup, saltines, Gatorade, fruit cups, and other staple “sick” items. If you visit the Wardenburg Health Center (http://www.colorado.edu/healthcenter/infectiousdisease.html), they will also give you a very stylish white quarantine mask, which my roommate is now wearing (I am very jealous).

If one of your close friends (or your roommate) has the flu, wash your hands and disinfect anything that you share. Generally, just avoid close contact (on a hormone ridden campus, this can be difficult I know). If you are living with the infected party, you may want to consider re-locating for a few nights until they are out of quarantine. However, you can go and see them, retrieve anything in their possession that you may need, and even sleep in the same room if you are willing to risk it. I called the Wardenburg Health Center, and spoke to a very nice nurse who further informed me that there is no need to come in the be “checked” if you have come in contact with a sick person but are not experiencing any symptoms yourself.

Overall, just take care and live a healthy lifestyle, and you should be ok. I just spent the last three days sleeping in the same room as an infected person, and I am fine, so there is no reason to panic. Even if you do catch the flu, my roommate does not seem to be suffering much (except from boredom) and I have been having fun playing nurse and fetching soup and water for her. And even the professors are doing their part to support those who fall ill. Almost all of my professors have stated that they are willing to work with students who miss class because of quarantine, and that they would MUCH prefer that infected student’s stay home. I live in the middle of the outbreak, and my view from the eye of the storm is that so long as we are all responsible we can avoid having this become a full blown epidemic and can weather the storm.