As the second semester begins, there has been a surge of illnesses that have affected students and staff at ANHS. This year, many have already been significantly affected due to sickness which has resulted in an impact on their education.
Students come into contact with dozens of different people throughout one school day, which makes high schools severely susceptible to spreading illnesses. Especially as the flu season commences, it is vital for individuals to take into account ways to prevent contracting any virus such as the flu.
The school nurse at ANHS, Ms. Campbell advises, “Hand washing is the most important thing, and if you’re sick, wearing a mask is still good to cover yourself if you’re coughing.”
Coming into contact with objects, such as desks, chairs or doors, increases one’s likelihood of getting germs on their hands. It is crucial for students to prevent touching their face after coming into contact with these sorts of materials because it provides bacteria an entry point through your eyes, nose or mouth.
One should also keep a close lookout for classmates or staff that may be sick around them in order to avoid touching the same equipment. Symptoms that have risen recently and should be looked out for include stomach issues, nausea, coughing or sore throats.
Abstaining from sharing food will also decrease the probability of getting ill as well. Sharing food with less people will decrease the chances of one getting sick and should only be shared if one is certain the other person is healthy.
The illnesses going around currently have been strong enough to cause students to miss up to a week of school. Missing a day is enough to create a stressful list of make-up work for students, so by following health protocols one can prevent having to put themselves in these difficult learning situations.
Kayla Mach (11), shares, “I got really sick the morning of my DA competition for school and so I had no other choice but to miss out on our first competition which made me really upset. I experienced symptoms such as nausea and a fever and had to miss four days of school because of it.”
Germs in your immune system can take a long time to fully fight off, which explains why many students have taken multiple days to recover from being sick. If one decides to still come to school while being ill, they should follow Ms. Campbell’s advice of covering themselves up with masks or trying to make a minimum amount of physical contact with the people around them.
A key way to ensure that individuals can fight off viruses easier is keeping up with yearly doctor check-ups. At times, students can feel stronger symptoms when they already have pre-existing health issues; therefore, one should mitigate this by supporting their physical condition as best as possible.
Eating a healthy diet and doing physical activity up to 30 minutes a day is enough to make a significant difference in one’s overall health.
The well-being of students and staff at ANHS is an immensely predominant aspect to the school environment. Being mindful of hygiene and safety will ultimately help flourish the safety and health of everyone at school.
