Written by James Taylor
The sickness formerly known as Swine Flu, has now, like Prince, turned into somewhat of a symbol. And somewhat of a joke.
The virus now is called H1N1 and is no rare occurrence among Harding students. Responses were different when students were asked about the virus.
“It is very contagious and very dangerous,” Caleb Lang, a sophomore at Harding said. “It can kill you, right?”
Lang is correct, but the truth is the virus is only dangerous and deadly if it is not properly treated, according to Christa Smith, who had H1N1 several weeks ago.
“I felt sick for about three days, but only one of the days was really bad,” she said. “Altogether, I think the regular flu is worse.”
Junior Brad Grant, a nursing major, said he believes the media have blown the virus out of proportion.
“I think there’s way too much hype about it. Of course there’s sad stories, and that’s unfortunate, but for the most part it’s not that bad. Texas A&M’s doing research on students who’ve contracted H1N1 and paying them $370 if they can confirm they have the virus and do some blood work. I have a buddy who goes there, and when he heard they’re handing out money for it, he purposely drank after a friend of his who had [the virus]. Sure enough, he got the virus, and the money. He said it was the easiest $370 he’s ever made.”
Lynn McCarty, the head nurse at Harding University, said she can’t disclose how many people at Harding have had the virus due to HIPPA Laws, but she said the virus has been diagnosed throughout the southern half of the United States. She said symptoms usually include an aching body, cough, fever of more than 100 degrees and sometimes vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.
“If you take care of each symptom, you’ll be fine,” she said.
McCarty urged students to stay home if they were showing symptoms to prevent spreading the virus.
It seems to me, Swine Flu has been exposed for what it is: A big bully, whose talk is worse than its bite. Take off your surgical masks, and feel free to switch back to Dial from Germ-X. The bully is on campus and should be avoided, but hardly feared.
