Time to prep for H1N1
by Hillel Buechler
Columnist
Columnists | 9/1/09
Posted online at 12:58 AM EST on 9/1/09
H1N1 is out there, continuing to infect thousands of people worldwide. It will eventually get to Brandeis. And we're simply not prepared to block the potentially crippling effects of a campuswide outbreak. But we could be.
If a quarter of the student population became infected, they'd cancel classes and beg us to please stay in our rooms. It'd be chaotic and hazardous, especially to those students and professors who have higher risks of complications. And with the way things are going internationally with the H1N1 virus, we could get to that point. But that doesn't really worry me at the moment. What worries me is how the University will deal with those first two or three infected students. That's going to be critical. If we can keep isolated cases of H1N1, well, isolated, then we're set. But the current University guidelines aren't going to accomplish that. It's really nice that we have some new hand sanitizer dispensers around campus. And it's great that the Health Center sent us an e-mail about washing our hands. But these things alone won't prevent an outbreak.
Our campus seems somewhat secluded, but with every passing day and weekend the odds increase that some students venturing through the greater Boston area will be exposed to H1N1 and generously bring it on campus for sharing. And once that handful of students on campus have flu symptoms, it'll be up to them to decide whether to stay in their rooms as much as possible or head out to that really, really important class. So right now, it's up to the University to make sure that those first few students remain the only few students and ensure that they choose to stay in their rooms.
Ideally, students with H1N1 should temporarily go home or be housed in one building while ill. But Brandeis students come from all over the country and the world, so going home is quite implausible. And there probably aren't many buildings on campus available to house the sick. (Or perhaps the pool could be used for something once again.) So let's stick with trying to keep sick students in their rooms. To do that, we're going to need some initiative on behalf of the University.
If a quarter of the student population became infected, they'd cancel classes and beg us to please stay in our rooms. It'd be chaotic and hazardous, especially to those students and professors who have higher risks of complications. And with the way things are going internationally with the H1N1 virus, we could get to that point. But that doesn't really worry me at the moment. What worries me is how the University will deal with those first two or three infected students. That's going to be critical. If we can keep isolated cases of H1N1, well, isolated, then we're set. But the current University guidelines aren't going to accomplish that. It's really nice that we have some new hand sanitizer dispensers around campus. And it's great that the Health Center sent us an e-mail about washing our hands. But these things alone won't prevent an outbreak.
Our campus seems somewhat secluded, but with every passing day and weekend the odds increase that some students venturing through the greater Boston area will be exposed to H1N1 and generously bring it on campus for sharing. And once that handful of students on campus have flu symptoms, it'll be up to them to decide whether to stay in their rooms as much as possible or head out to that really, really important class. So right now, it's up to the University to make sure that those first few students remain the only few students and ensure that they choose to stay in their rooms.
Ideally, students with H1N1 should temporarily go home or be housed in one building while ill. But Brandeis students come from all over the country and the world, so going home is quite implausible. And there probably aren't many buildings on campus available to house the sick. (Or perhaps the pool could be used for something once again.) So let's stick with trying to keep sick students in their rooms. To do that, we're going to need some initiative on behalf of the University.
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