Who’s the new kid in town? Uh oh, it’s swine flu. The newest fad in respiratory diseases, is, as you’ve heard from just about everywhere, sweeping its way through the U.S and will probably creep up behind your comfy chair in Butler 209 any second now. 

Although all cases of the flu in the U.S have been mild, Health Services is staying alert about a Columbia outbreak. Scott Wright, VP of Student Services, discussed the need to be aware of flu’s ability to spread during his cameo at last night’s CCSC meeting. He passed around flyers from the NYC Department of Health that instructs New Yorkers on avoiding getting down with the sickness: “clean things that are touched often,” “avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth,” and, you know, wash your hands.

Wright echoed the general sentiment that we are at a moment where the situation is “changing hour-by-hour”, but that it has the “potential to be very serious.” Halp! He assured CCSC that Columbia has access to flu vaccines anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu but is “not positive” that they will be effective against this strain of the flu. Although, according to Wright, “not enough is known yet to take further action”, Columbia is considered one of the city’s main hubs in case of an emergency and Columbia administrators will know updates on the situation “before anyone else in the area.”

We’re all gonna die!

– ECS