More Meds Please!

As we all know, Flu season is in full swing and whether it be the seasonal flu or god forbid must I say, swine flu we must stay protected by whatever means necessary. The biggest and best solution to prevent us all from getting sick is by getting a vaccination. A vaccination is like giving us a dose of the actual disease so that our immune systems can react to it and help fight it off. By having it once, we therefore are less susceptible to getting the disease, if ever again. There has been recent news about shortage in swine flu vaccinations, which is true. All over the world, people are getting sick faster then the rate of vaccinations being passed out. It's unfair for younger children, ranging from age 6 months to 24 years, which are the most likely to catch it. Last weekend, at the Iowa State Fair, there were over 2000 vaccinations given out in less then four hours to kids who came. But dosages like these don't come all the time. On this morning's edition of the news, it stated that over 900 people have died from the flu, 43 of them being children. It's like a pandemic and eventually it will sweep the nation. Family doctors have been getting small dosages and they often charge a hefty package for one because they're so limited. Pediatricians must be having a hard time! A good feature though, is that they're beginning to have clinics for people so that they can all come and get vaccinated. But we still need more medicine! So get on it government! The vaccination is the smartest idea for parents who don't want their kids missing school. That's another bad thing about flu season. Being sick for the first two days of school this week I realized just how hard it is to miss a day. To miss a day of school, with my schedule, is like missing a week at work. There was so much make-up work for me to do I'm still getting caught up now and trust me, it's not easy. For so many other students, I can only imagine. Those that have been sick for a week or so must be literally swamped! Plus, teachers have got to be feeling the heat. In some of my classes, up to 10 people are gone everyday, trying to teach something new is somewhat stupid because you're going to have to teach all the sick people when they get back anyways. For me, these past couple days back at school have been relatively easy simply because alot of the teachers refuse to learn new and instead give us work time to re-learn or further explore the old and I'm A-okay with that. There's a huge defining factor of swine flu and it is this: you will be sick for a couple days (bad days) and then be okay for a couple days (good days) and then you go BACK to having bad days and become sick all over again! That's what I fear most about this whole thing. I'd prefer to stay healthy. My best advice for doing so: drink lots of fluids. Water is best, and things with Vitamin C like orange juice for coughs. Take some ibuprofen for headaches, cough drops for your cold, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer alot. And STAY AWAY FROM THE SICKIES! This thing is pretty contagious so be careful, you know your boundaries and if your feeling sick: please stay home. Feel better soon world!!