By Editorial Board
College life is filled with unique challenges and with a new environment comes opportunities to strike out and carve your own identity. You can make your own schedule and decide when and how much to eat, sleep, study and socialize. But improperly balancing these activities and more can burn students out and leave their bodies susceptible to sickness. Going to college isn't exactly known as a way to improve your health, but at least only you pay the price for your mistakes, right? Well, perhaps not.Unlike other academic environments, UP is a small community, and like many communities we share more than just dinning halls and study rooms. Come flu season, we also share in each other's sickness. If you run your body down and find yourself on the receiving end of a virus, chances are you may pass it on to others. This concern rings especially true right now, as a White House report predicts that anywhere between 30 to 50 percent of the U.S. population may contract the swine flu this season. Making matters worse, infections are expected to be 20 times more likely in people between 5 and 24 years of age. This is a change from the seasonal flu's usual targets: people 65 years and older.This year's flu season could start sooner, last longer and infect more youths. These are lousy odds for UP students. Be aware of your health, if not for yourself, then for others. We here at UP are in a community and whether we like it or not, we are in this together, both in sickness and in health. In these first few months when you socialize and adjust to your new schedules and classes, we ask that you practice some simple and common precautions.Wash your hands. Above all else, good hand hygiene before eating or touching your face may be the best and easiest defense. Newly installed hand sanitizer dispensers dot campus buildings for this very purpose.Simply covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when you sneeze or cough can go a long way to protecting others. Sharing is a virtue, but sharing a drink can put you and others at risk of swapping germs and suffering from something far worse than a hangover.If you start feeling ill, look for signs and symptoms of the flu like a soar throat, chills, aches and fatigue. A temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more is a surefire bet that something is wrong. Missing class or work isn't a choice to make lightly, but staying isolated from others when sick is a gesture appreciated far more than you may know. UP's own "social isolation" policy encourages sick on-campus students to voluntarily stay out of classes.Talk with your Peer Health Educators and the Health Center about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. If you or someone you know are at higher risk for flu complications, consider getting the swine flu vaccine when it's available. Sometimes there isn't anything that can be done to prevent getting sick, but for most students, taking the time to follow a few practical safety measures can make the difference between spending days in bed and enjoying the college lifestyle.
