Less than one year ago, a plethora of the nation’s schools sat at a standstill because of a breakout of the H1N1 virus, more commonly referred to as the swine flu. By August 21 of 2009, the death count in the U.S. by the H1N1 strain totaled 522.
Three weeks ago, 11-year-old Mesquite ISD student, Cynthia Garcia, was rushed to the hospital for pneumonia symptoms and a sinus infection, which was then followed by the swine flu. Garcia died later that day.
“You just hear about it,” pharmacist Rosie Neiman at Tom Thumb of Parker and Independence said. “But it really gets close to home; it’s in your backyard now.”
With the year coming closer and closer to winter, and thereafter spring, the flu season is kicking in. In addition, illness and school absences have already begun to grow exponentially in North America.
Yet with the swine flu vaccine coming out as early as October 5, people are expecting a quick trick to avoiding the hard hit of swine flu. However, at the same time many feel skeptical of what the vaccine would actually do for them.
“Skeptical about the vaccine, I can understand; by how fast they are making it,” Neiman said. “And the virus is constantly changing.”
In 1918, a pandemic referred to as the Spanish influenza infected a third of the world’s population, whereas 50 to 100 million people died. The Spanish influenza itself, however, was a virulent and deadly subtype of the H1N1 virus; proof of the outcome of H1N1 mutations.
“With more people to infect, there are higher chances to increase mutation,” senior Alex Sysaath said. “That could lead to something more deadly like the Spanish flu that killed millions.”
Unlike the 1918 pandemic, during the nationwide outbreak of swine flu in 1976 there were swine flu vaccinations given. As with the situation today, it had to be mass produced in little time. However, in some cases, reaction to the vaccine varied and carried dangerous side effects.
“A friend of mine got something called the Guillian-Barré syndrome,” German teacher Beth Smith said. “She became paralyzed, but when they put her on a ventilator, she eventually got over it.”
However, the side effects were still there after getting over the Guillian-Barré syndrome (GBS). Her smile still shows the lingering effects of paralysis. This was a reaction to the vaccine, similar in 500 other people diagnosed with GBS; 25 of those cases resulted in death from severe pulmonary complications.
Yet even with this in mind, and in retrospect to the overly cautious reaction made by school districts the previous school year, many students have taken up a jaunty attitude towards the virus. The overall seriousness towards the dangers lying within the swine flu has dwindled away.
“I really don’t care,” senior Chris Francis said. “Sure people will get it, and everyone will overreact when they do, but it really doesn’t mean anything to me at the moment.”
The attitude of “it can’t happen to me” sits in the back of most everyone’s minds. Just like everyone else, this idea of immunity to the swine flu was the case with senior Jeremy Shapiro.
“You hear it on the news, but you don’t ever think you’d ever get it,” Shapiro said. “I didn’t think anyone I knew had the swine flu.”
On Monday, September 29, Shapiro went to the doctor because of flu-like symptoms. It came as a shock to everyone that just the common yearly flu was indeed the swine flu.
“Just the week before I was joking around with everyone,” Shapiro said. “I mean I’m Kosher, how does someone like me get the swine flu? I just couldn’t believe it.”
With that in mind, Shapiro continues to sit school out until he recovers. But regardless, the minds of the student body aren’t as easily swayed from the most average teenage aura: “I’m invincible.” Students across the nation will continue not washing their hands, drinking after one another, and live their lives just as they always had up to that point: carelessly. It will just vary between the skeptical and the proactive; vaccine or no vaccine.
“Well, I just got over the regular flu, so I should be safe from the swine flu, right?” junior Marian El-Rayes said. “I think I will just stick to my apple a day.”