<p>“bc you’re killing off an unnecessary amount of bacteria, some of which are good for you.”
Really? The guy said he was washing his hands and using Purell - the other methods he uses are barrier-type. I can’t believe that not washing your hands would prove to be a lesser risk to the population at large washing them would be.
Other posters–are you sayinbg Purell is the the culprit? I’m not arguing - just want to be informed. Like the CDC, I’m a fan of of hand-washing over Purell.
I mean, we’re just talking basic hygiene here not combination antibiotic therapy. And your immune system goes “to sleep” when you engage in frequent hand-washing? Huh? Proof?
PS Although it may be reassuring - or not- to know the deceased student’s medical history will not prevent the spread of the disease which is the primary concern.</p>
<p>^ We’re talking about germophobes that constantly wash and basically get rid of as many bacteria as it is possible to get rid of.</p>
<p>That’s not good for maintaining your immune system.</p>
<p>Washing your hands and stuff is fine, just don’t go through a bottle of purell a day. Lol.</p>
<p>Purell kills off good bacteria as well as bad, which can lower your immune system in the long run. I also don’t like the thought of putting chemicals all over my hands, lol. Your best bet is to use good ol’ soap and water - and not the anti-bacterial kind!</p>
<p>I do not understand the need to know the details of Warrens health prior to his contracting this virus. He could have had asthma, epilepsy or any auto immune condition. I am sure that there are many many students at Cornell with some type of condition that would place them at greater risk if they were to become infected. That is the point and no other point matters. With this flu spreading the way it is, all of these students are at risk of having serious complications if they contract this virus. Cornell needs to put a stop to the frat parties and any other type of social gathering which will put students in close contact. This seems necessary to do until the vaccine is distributed to everyone.</p>
<p>I am sorry to say but some of these posts are infuriating to me. It is not anyones business what the prior medical condition of this young man was. What the Cornell community needs to do in a strong message is to remind students and all staff that this virus is dangerous to other people who are at risk of complications. Students need to stay in their rooms or go home if they are sick. I am disgusted that students are attending classes while they are sick. Tell your kids that if they are sick and still attending they are the ones responsible for spreading this and ultimately putting others in a dangerous situation. This is school folks, put it all in perspective and tell your kids to just do the right thing.</p>
<p>In a student’s defensive, professors are often not very forgiving when missing a class or exam.</p>
<p>Students would stay in bed if school would make it easy for them to make up work. That is why I think the school could do more to help the situation. Kids at highly competitive schools are pushing themselves to go to classes when they are sick. It wouldn’t matter what parents tell them to do.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree that Cornell needs to readdress the current flu policy in place. Students should be putting the pressure on the administration to address concerns regarding missed work and classes. Students should also be working ahead in each class if possible, so if they need to take time off, it will not be detrimental to their grades. I currently have three kids at competitive schools and if any of them were to get sick I would get them home. This is not possible for kids living across the country or out of the country but many of Cornells students are fairly close to home.</p>
<p>RIP Warren Schor.</p>
<p>My roommate is convinced the H1N1 virus is made up. Which prompts me to roll my eyes because she insists it’s being over-hyped…</p>
<p>Professor Gilbert seemed to be pretty accepting of the current flu season circumstances in regards to staying in one’s room as opposed to attending Bio 1101 lecture. But then again, lecture recordings and powerpoint slides are posted online, so the class materials are pretty easily accessible.</p>
<p>My Astro 1101 professor (Lloyd) actually has a swine flu policy in his syllabus…if you’re sick, you get a week off of class and your grade weightings are readjusted so you essentially don’t have to worry about the work. </p>
<p>Prof. Maas does make a point of telling us to stay home if we’re sick, but he never really addresses the issue of making up work. As for my other professors…haven’t heard anything from them.</p>
<p>Wanting to understand what happened leading up to this student’s death is not a question of being nosy or trying to pry into anyone’s business. It’s an attempt to understand how students can better protect themselves from getting sick. It’s not important to know what the pre-existing condition was, but whether or not there was a pre-existing condition is helpful to understanding how to manage the virus. </p>
<p>I think it’s also important for students to understand that there may not always be a pre-existing condition. I think too many students immediately think “it can’t happen to me” because they do not have a pre-existing condition. A student at another campus died because he developed pneumonia while he was recovering from swine flu. Too many students do not take their medical conditions seriously enough and take risks without understanding the consequences. Obviously, this virus is dangerous to people beyond those at risk of complications. Precautions, without hysteria, should continue to be taken by all.</p>
<p>The majority of Cornell students have grown up thinking that class time is critical. It’s very hard for students who are used to academic rigor to stay home if they are feeling a little under the weather unless they truly understand the risks to themselves and others. It’s not infuriating…it’s just a lack of understanding.</p>
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<p>I’m sorry, but as somebody on immunosupressant medicine and who just last night interacted with 20 Cornell students, it is important to know whether or not the deceased was an otherwise healthy student. Because that would mean that the strain is getting stronger and that more precautions should be taken. It is a public health concern.</p>
<p>And the fact that so many adults on this board haven’t heard of the hygiene hypothesis is a bit unsettling. Sterilization is great for surgery, but I certainly hope that a lot of the food I eat and things I touch have a healthy amount of bacteria on them.</p>
<p>Also…I understand that it may be against the law for Cornell to disclose anything at all about this student and respect that. I also fully respect the family’s decision to keep this matter private. I am sure they are suffering tremendously and at this point, their grief is overwhelming. So in retrospect - do I really want to know about this specific student - no. Do I want to know facts about how this virus is spreading and is causing young people to get so sick, and in some instances lose their lives, yes, for the sake of everyone.</p>
<p>I just hope that all students are receiving accurate information about real life instances highlighting the necessity of taking every precaution to avoid infecting themselves, others with pre-exisiting conditions and other people in general. My fear is the continued belief by students that they are immune. The library was packed today, as one would expect. This virus seems to be more serious, not just more contageous, than other flus in the past. I hope the students truly understand that. Any information the students receive about what is happening with this flu will help them to understand. There have been so many warnings about so many things in recent years, I’m not sure anyone knows when to take a warning seriously.</p>
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<p>The results of the details of one case means absolutely nothing without further analysis. And, it will be CDC in Atlanta that makes a determination on whether the strain is mutated. The deceased’s personal medical history is of no value to any of us.</p>
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<p>I once contracted frostbite over a weekend at Cornell. I walked all the way from North Campus to Gannett in the freezing cold, and lo and behold, no one was there in the clinic. I called the emergency line that was posted on the board near the entrance; apparently, Gannett is closed on the weekends. I was directed to a nurse on-call who then told me to call up a taxi to have myself checked out at the nearest clinic off-campus. Well, it was 2-3 hours before I got myself looked at by a doctor. Thank God the condition improved on its own during those 2-3 hours since I went off to the warm indoors as soon as possible, but had it been more severe…</p>
<p>how did you get frostbite?</p>
<p>hmmm, my D is not at Cornell, (at Amherst) but I just had a thought. Is it possible for prof’s to do video teaching per se so the kids that are in bed can view the class?</p>
<p>From what I heard,</p>
<p>The student had a prior infection with some other disease and then contracted the swine flu. Doctors decided to place him in an induced coma and administer penicillin. He had an adverse reaction to the penicillin.</p>
<p>Just passing along rumors.</p>
<p>I don’t think ImtheHost is autoclaving his meals, however.</p>
<p>Yes and thank you for clarifying why we are wondering if the deceased student had other underlying issues. As a daughter of a freshman who has a sore throat right now (Gannet gave her the generic advice and told her to stay put in her room-her roommate now has a sore throat too) the question is really about how dangerous the swine flu strain hitting this campus hard really is. I agree with the poster that said that students at this highly competitive college will not miss class unless it is completely impossible. The College should really come out with a blanket absentee policy with swine where students are not peanilized or better yet, shut down classes for a week and let kids recover. 400 cases (known that is) and spreading like wild fire. I am very worried.</p>