Dubious Defenses, Health Care / Medicine, Law Schools, Lunacy, Swine Flu

Some Notes on Swine Flu

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There is little chance that the American experiment would have survived a serious outbreak of the bubonic plague. The Athenians fought a war while stricken with the plague. Granted, it didn’t go so well, but that’s not the point. But a couple of kids get a new strain of spring flu (which is at least as accurate of a name for it as “swine flu”) and people start losing it.

Of course, law students are nothing if not susceptible to mass hysteria. Take this message that students at Loyola – Los Angeles received:

Dear Students,

Please be advised that students will be permitted to wear breathing masks during an examination. If a student chooses to do so, he/she will be permitted to bring and use the mask at his/her seat in the examination room. This policy will remain in effect through the end of the 2009 Spring examination period. Thank you.

Office of the Registrar Loyola Law School

On the one hand, are people really wasting precious exam cramming time worrying about swine flu? Really?


On the other hand, if you have swine flu, you’re really going to go take your finals? You’re not going to use that as a convenient excuse to stay home? Even St. John’s has at least figured that out. Here’s how St. John’s is dealing with the situation:

If you have symptoms of the flu, whether it is specified as Swine Flu (A/H1N1) or not, in accordance with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, we strongly urge you to comply with the following:

1. The most important thing for you to do if you have a mild respiratory infection is to stay home.

2. If you develop a fever, sore throat or a cough, it is possible for you to spread the virus to those who have close contact with you.

3. To help prevent transmission of influenza virus to your close contacts, the recommendation is to stay home for seven days after onset of symptoms, or until 24-48 hours after resolution of symptoms, whichever is longer.

4. To wash your hands frequently; cover your mouth with a tissue and not with your hands when you cough; and dispose of the tissue in the trash.

Stay home. Don’t be gross. See a doctor. If you are sick, have some Sprite and Campbell’s Soup. You’ll be fine.

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