Cold season brings outbreak of H1N1 and Influenza A
            The Swine Flu is far from gone here in Florida. Since April, Florida has reached 109 deaths due to the H1N1 infection (Miami Herald) and the numbers keep rising. With vaccines now being distributed, some have more fear of taking the shot than contracting the virus themselves.

            “They rushed to put it out and is hasn’t been thoroughly tested. People do not know the side effects of it,” said Ms. Barbara Paulsen, Nursing and Health Science teacher.

            In a poll conducted by the Associated Press, only 52% of the population would actually be willing to get the Swine Flu vaccine and the majority of this percentage consists of older people. The H1N1 strain is an infection that targets people with a weak immune system. Children, pregnant woman, and people with illnesses such as asthma and diabetes are more susceptible than the average person. The fact that older populations are first in line to take the shot while younger populations are hesitant to take it, is troubling for many due to the fact that children are more at risk.

            Even with the hesitation, public schools in South Florida have already begun to administer these vaccines as long as parents give their consent. In the past weeks, Miami-Dade has received 30,000 doses while Broward has received 10,000 of the nasal spray vaccines.

            “I would not allow my children to take the shot yet. It hasn’t been fully tested and unless they figure out the side effects, it isn’t something I want to subject them to,” said Lisbeth Cruz, mother of a high school student, a child in elementary school and a one-year old boy. 

            Aside from the reluctance of people to take the vaccine and the suspicions of its side effects, U.S. health officials assure us that the risks from not getting the swine flu vaccine are greater than the risks of the vaccine itself (Miami Herald).

            For those who have been having symptoms, they might be confusing their symptoms, believing they might have H1N1 when they might have Influenza A instead.

            “‘Flu’ is the generic term. Viruses infect in the same way. What distinguishes the viruses from each other is the type of organism they infect. The symptoms just vary from person to person depending on their system. Some get achy; others get a fever,” said Biology teacher Mr. Nicholas Oehm.

Symptoms for the H1N1 infection are fever, weakness, lack of appetite and coughing. Other Swine Flu victims have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. All of these symptoms correlate with the symptoms of the Influenza A virus which makes it difficult for the average person to distinguish the difference.

“Both are two different types of flues but since they are flues, they usually have the same symptoms,” said Ms. Paulsen.

The Swine Flu spreads through droplets, in other words, from the spit that comes out of a person’s mouth when they sneeze or cough. When that particle stays on a surface, the person becomes in danger of coming into contact with it (ABC News).

In order to prevent becoming infected with this disease, people must continue to wash their hands, and stay away from close contact with those infected.

            “Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. That is all I’m going to say,” said Ms. Paulsen.

            Research has shown that hand sanitizer does not work more than three times in one day. After that, a person should wash their hands properly with water and soap.

            Often times, people wash their hands incorrectly. A person must wash their hands for more than 30 seconds, scrub under their fingernails, and wash all the way up to their wrists.

            If a person thinks that he or she is infected, measures should be taken to assure that your infection is in fact Swine Flu. If you think you might be infected, find out for sure.

            “No one can diagnose themselves. They need to get cultured. They need to get tested,” said Ms. Paulsen.