By Patrick Sweet ‘19
Saint Ignatius High School has recently endured the dreaded annual flu season, but this time has outdone neighboring schools in terms of fighting the flu’s spread.
The virus hit immediately following Christmas Break, when about twenty men were reported absent due to illness. However, the number of absences this year has remained relatively the same as last year, while neighboring schools suffered one of the worst flu seasons since the 2009 swine flu pandemic.
Why? The Cleveland Department of Public Health efforts to provide vaccinations to the public, these vaccines were said to be only 36% effective compared to 40-60% effectiveness past years. Despite this failure, school nurse, Darlene Hernandez, attributes the minimal spread of the virus at Ignatius as a byproduct of the school’s health initiatives. More specifically, she accredits the new hand sanitizer dispensers in every classroom as the greatest preventative measure.
Additionally, the school has ramped up the community’s housekeeping staff initiatives to wash down handrails, doors, and other frequently-touched items daily. However, most importantly, Mrs. Hernandez recommends that students take their own precautionary measures such as coughing into their sleeves, keeping their hands away from their eyes and nose, and, most importantly, getting enough sleep to keep their immune systems strong.
