With the flu season upon us, Trinity is working to keep the now infamous H1N1 virus (swine flu) at bay.
H1N1 is a mutated strain of an animal virus that can be passed through humans. H1N1 is relatively similar to the regular flu in terms of symptoms. The only exception is that usually after five days of having the virus, a respiratory symptom may occur that can progress to pneumonia or other life-threatening complications.
Students react to the new threat of swine flu differently. “Swine flu scares me a lot,” said Ethan Durham, while Trevor Tierney took a more casual approach, saying, “I don’t think it will affect me.”
Cases of H1N1 have already started popping up throughout Kentucky--and have resulted in a number of deaths. The Kentucky Department for Public Health declared that swine flu is now widespread throughout the state.
One school in Boyle County closed for a week due to the high number of afflicted students and teachers. So what would Trinity do in case of a large outbreak? “Deal with it,” said Trinity Nurse Betty Roth.
Trinity has not closed down for a disease-related reason in 20 years. “It would have to be drastic,” Roth said.
“We have instructions from the Archdiocese on what constitutes a large outbreak,” Trinity Principal Dan Zoeller said. “If we hit a certain percentage (of students sick), we would report it to the health department for instructions on what to do.”
Trinity hopes the new precautions people are taking will keep the number of cases low. No doubt everyone has noticed the hand sanitizer dispensers now found in every classroom and in the cafeteria.
“I sanitize my hands now every class,” Slater Steinrock said. Along with this, TTV, with the help of Roth, has aired public service announcements informing students on disease prevention.
“These are things you should do all the time, not just for H1N1,” Roth said. Things like washing your hands regularly and covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you sneeze or cough can help stop the spread of the virus. “I am now washing my hands more often than I was last year, which was never,” Mikey Richardson said.
Trinity is also preparing for academic consequences. This means that the school has informed parents about what the school is doing and what to do if their child has the virus in terms of school work. As for how long these safeguards will remain in place, Zoeller said Trinity will “keep all the precautions going for as long as they are necessary.”