By Julien Desrayaud
Syracuse, NY - The novel H1N1 influenza has reached Onondaga County and Central New Yorkers are doing a good job of staying healthy by taking preventative measures. There have been thousands of suspected flu cases but only four confirmed deaths. People are paying attention to what H1N1 is capable of doing and because of this awareness there have been very few fatalities. Even though catching the flu can be scary these days, peopl still need to carry on with their daily activities. "You have to live your life in the crowd, so wash your hands and, you know, try to avoid all these close contacts," said Quoc Nguyen, the Medical Director for the Onondaga County Health Department.
People living in close quartersChildren and young adults under the age of 25 are the most susceptible age group to contract the novel H1N1 flu. This is mainly because younger kids are usually in close contact with other children, and they exchange germs by holding hands or coughing on one another. Children under the age of 10 will need two vaccinations while anyone over that age will only need one.
College students are a target as well because they can be careless by exchanging cups at a party or not practicing safe and clean habits. Most students live in dormatories or apartments that they share with other students so germs can spread even faster.
Syracuse University students
Currently at Syracuse University, there are only six confirmed cases of the flu on campus, which is a testament to the university's effort to keep their students informed and safe.
Anyone can contract the flu this time of year so students have been making an effort to be clean. "I guess you could say I've been more cautious with the hand sanitizer. I've been using that more frequently than I used to," explained junior accounting major David Rosenblatt. He has been doing his best to prevent getting sick like many other students on the hill.
Watch the StoryMeanwhile, not everyone has been so lucky or calm. "I was terrified actually because that was the one thing that I really thought it couldn't be," exclaimed Mohamadia Darwish, a graduate student at S-U who had flu like symptoms last week. Darwish contracted swine flu last week and felt sluggish for days. She panicked when she realized that she had the H1N1 flu.
In an attempt to keep students healthy, Syracuse University has prepared flu kits containing Gatorade, masks, sanitizer, and more. SU is already out of seasonal flu shots but the university "ha[s] not administered any H1N1 vaccines on campus yet. In fact, it hasn't been distributed anywhere in the United States at this point," said Carol Masiclat, the Health Services Spokeswoman.
Symptoms- unusual tiredness
- headache
- runny nose
- sore throat
- shortness of breath or cough
- loss of appetite
- aching muscles
- diarrhoea or vomiting
Additional Information
If you have any more questions pertaining to novel H1N1 flu check out the New York State Department of Health's website.
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