Every year, half the school seems to come down with one ailment or another at the same time. This isn’t a simple coincidence: schools are the perfect place for transmission, with cramped spaces and thousands of students and staff. Washing hands frequently, staying away from sick people, and wearing masks can protect against getting what’s going around.
There have been trends of various diseases going around school, the most recent being the flu. People who spend a lot of time in close contact tend to catch sickness from each other. Skyline freshman Riya confirmed this, saying she and her friends “usually get sick at the same time.”
The school environment packs thousands of students into dense indoor spaces such as classrooms, hallways, and cafeterias. One study done by biology researcher Marcel Salathé and colleagues found that in a typical day at an American high school, one student goes through 762,868 Close Proximity Interactions (CPI), interactions that can potentially transmit infectious disease.
It’s not too different with sports teams outside, Skyline senior Alex said, “I’m on the cross-country team, so whenever a big sickness comes along, you can see most of the team’s out.”
To prevent the spread of sickness in these environments, students should practice basic safety precautions of washing hands frequently and covering coughs and sneezes. Hand sanitizer can come in handy for quick disinfection. Avoid touching anywhere near the face; that is where most viruses infiltrate the body.
Social distancing, a term we all grew familiar with during the Covid-19 pandemic, can help exponentially. Although it is difficult to avoid the hallway or lunchroom crowding, try to avoid being near someone expressing symptoms of disease, even if it’s a friend or family member.
When sick, wearing a mask or staying at home can prevent further contagion.
As Skyline junior Emma H., “[Let’s] lock in on keeping ourselves safe and maintain personal hygiene so we can live happier and healthier!”
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