Hand sanitizer junkies: Get ready for Heaven on Earth

Have you seen those hand sanitizers around? Along with the signs accompanying all of them explaining with cutesy little characters that show us how to “cover the cough”?

They are the new eye candy near the elevators, in the sky lobby of Maria’s Tower and near the Café 101 entrance. No longer will we be reading about upcoming clubs meetings or spotlighted speaker series around the University, but now we will be constantly reading about how to prevent H1N1 Flu or “swine flu.” And for good reason.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “During [the week of] August 23-29, 2009, influenza activity increased...[to] a total of 9,079 hospitalizations and 593 deaths associated with…influenza A (H1N1) viruses…from 8,843 hospitalizations and 556 deaths from the prior week.”

No wonder the University is not taking any chances. Remember last May when Pace University had a scare with a student who was hospitalized with symptoms of the H1N1 strand of flu? It turned out to be the common influenza and not the swine flu but it showed everyone how dangerous any strand of influenza could be if not treated.

This flu scare has also been called the flu pandemic. Information given by Pandemicflu.gov suggests how institutions of higher education should protect their students, faculty and staff and Pace is taking steps to be successful with prevent. Such as placing tissue dispensers in bathroom so no one has to touch the door knobs and now the free hand sanitizer dispensers.

The severity of the sickness is not known yet. In seasonal flu, certain groups of people are more likely to “be at greater risk from infection, serious illness or hospitalization from the virus,” according to flu.gov. For example, anyone over the age of 65, under the age of five, pregnant or suffers from a chronic illness are labeled as being high risk.

It has been confirmed by the CDC that the H1N1 flu strand is contagious from human to human but they are still unaware of exactly how it is transferred.

The new posters with the hand sanitizer dispensers may seem juvenile to some but not everyone understands that when you do not cover your mouth when you cough or your nose when you sneeze germs spread further. It also may seem to be common knowledge to wash your hands after you sneeze all over them but, again, some might just forget.

An appreciation of the colorful effort Pace is giving in grabbing their students, faculty and staffs attentions to the pandemic of this H1N1 strand should be given. Maybe that is just because our generation is all for knowing things fast, accurately and even before they happen (thank you smartphone technology) but is tweeting about possible mass destruction ok as the CDC does?

I’m going to lean towards yes because why not know? Knowing is the first step towards prevention and prevention leads towards control. We can’t control everything, which is something I am slowly learning, but we can control our hands and we must use them to cover our cough.

And while you’re at it – why don’t you throw in a few “'Gesundheits” also.