Video by Austin Evans

Every winter, the United States is hit with the infamous flu season; according to a survey taken by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, this year’s flu season has been one of the worst yet, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree.

This month, Coppell High School is especially affected by the new strain of the flu that pulls students from classes and plants them in bed for the week. But for dedicated students, the flu proves a worry in more ways than one: while they must fight the threat of influenza, they simultaneously fight the threat of losing final exam exemptions.

“I hate taking final exams,” said senior Caitlin Koranda, who came to school even in the midst of the flu. “I just didn’t think I could afford to miss school anymore. Last year, I had to take my final exams and it was a lot of extra work and made me annoyed, so I vowed that I would always be exempt from then on.”

Though these students are risking their own well-being as well as others’, they find the risk well worth it, and their classmates can respect the choice.

“It happens,” said senior Srishti Goel, who is ranked in the top 10. “Sometimes we just can’t afford to miss school. There have been times where I’ve felt mildly sick where I came to one or two classes for which I really don’t want to take finals for, and then just go home for the rest of the day.”

Luckily, for students who are out of school for more than the allotted three days forced per school policy or doctor’s orders, Coppell High School provides an attendance committee offering students an appeal process. Though many students do not know of this option, when having missed multiple days of school that ruin eligibility for exemptions, a committee made up of a principal, a counselor and two teachers will meet with the student to determine whether he or she should win back exemptions.

“I understand why students feel like they need to come to class [when they are sick,] but if they are ill where they are contagious or really shouldn’t be at school, they need to stay home for their own health and for the protection of other students and teachers,” Assistant Principal Sean Bagley said. “[Exemptions] are a great motivator; my only concern is sometimes students feel like it’s the only thing they’re coming to school for. It shouldn’t be an all or nothing attitude –illness is an issue we can find a solution for.”

The requirements for exemptions this year are the same as always: a student cannot acquire more than three absences and four tardies, must maintain an 85 semester average or above, must pass TAKS to be exempt from that subject or receive a “commended” standard on all TAKS to be exempt from all classes and elective courses, with no ISS, OSS or DAEP on record.

Though many prioritize long-term academic achievement over short term health, students should reevaluate the consequences, positive and negative, of coming to school sick.

Flu season peaks in American every year about the same time, February. And though each year brings new and different strains of the flu -as we saw last year with the infamous swine flu- this year proves to be an especially important year to watch for influenza.

The flu has recently hit CHS hard as the month of January came to a close, leaving students and teachers bed-ridden for the rest of their week. So while the 6-day snow break allowed for the school-wide epidemic to simmer down, students and families should still take the neccessary precautions to avoid this year’s flu and avoid chances of students catching it at school and bringing the virus home.

The Center for Disease Control reccommends that vaccination is the most effective preventative for anybody over the age of six months. The 2010-2011 vaccines for influenza are available at a number of places near home, like your family doctor or Wal-mart. 

At Coppell’s Walgreens, located at Denton Tap and Parkway, you can protect yourself and simultaneously your loved ones from contracting the flu virus for thirty bucks. You can now purchase a Walgreens’ new gift card for a loved one, which is loaded with $29.99 and ready for a walk-in vaccination.

As always, follow daily steps for flue prevention and be sure to 

• properly wash your hands with soap and water
• cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, not your hands or elbow
• avoid contact with sick people
• watch for symptoms of the flu
• remain at home for 24 hours after fever

To learn more about this year’s flu and check symptoms and ways to prevent illness, check out the Center of Disease Control website, or CDC.

High school may be a Petri dish, but this year, Coppell High School has become a breeding ground for not only diseases, but for rumors about diseases as well.

Last May, swine flu was treated like a biochemical weapon of massed destruction, and many schools shut down. For about two weeks, the nation was in complete panic mode. With the start of the new school year, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of swine flu cases as students are frequently in close contact once again.

In many cases, rumors add to the panic more than anything. To keep you informed about the virus, The Sidekick brings you a special issue of Mythbusters; it’s time to bust some Swine Flu myths.

Myth: All strains of the flu currently circulating are H1N1.
Result: Busted.
“Not all strands of the flu are swine,” Coppell High School nurse Beth Dorn said. “When people get sick and have tests done, the results just say flu type A, which includes the swine flu but also other strands of flu that are all treated the same way. To test to confirm just swine flu would be more expensive and unnecessary.”

However, it is indicated by the Dallas County Health Department that the majority—97%– of all flu victims do, in fact, have H

Myth: Only five more people have to get H1N1 to close the school.
Result: Busted.
“There’s no set number of students that have to be absent to result in the school closing,” administration secretary Carol Greene said.

While other schools in the Dallas area have closed, CHS will remain open until further notice. This rumor appears to be one of a repeat of the rumors caused by the hysteria from last May than anything else.

Myth: Using hand sanitizer will keep you healthy.
Result: Plausible.
“Washing your hands is best,” Dorn said. “Soap and water is better at getting rid of bacteria, but alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a handy backup.”

Hand sanitizers are not considered effective unless their alcohol content is over 60 percent. Sanitizers also do not cut away grime which may accumulate on hands while also killing normal flora, the bacteria residing on the body as natural part of the immune system. Overuse of hand sanitizer has also been blamed for the spread of more tenacious strains of bacteria that grow immune to such methods as well as for less developed immune systems in children and other development issues.

Myth: The rainy weather makes people sick.
Result: Plausible.
“Only because people stay inside more, and spread germs more easily,” Dorn said. “Although allergies with congestion can be aggravated by the weather and lead to sinus infection and increase asthma.”

Myth: If you get swine flu, you’ll miss at least a week of school.
Result: Plausible
“The Center for Disease Control recommends that people with the swine flu stay home until they’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without Tylenol or Motrin,” Dorn said. “However, some doctors will tell students to stay home longer than that. It really depends on the doctor.”

It should also be noted that people respond differently to and suffer from various strands of the flu. People with weaker immune systems may miss a week while others miss only a day; there’s no definitive trend.

Myth: You should cough into your elbow, not your hand.
Result: Confirmed.
The CDC has recommended coughing into the elbow or sleeve as opposed to traditional methods of using hands or tissues for a while now, but it’s just now caught on. Unless hands are disinfected after every cough or sneeze, they will continue to transmit germs to every surface they touch, such as doorknobs, desks and other “high-traffic” areas, thus putting others at risk. Coughing into one’s elbow or sleeve is only potentially dangerous if wiping ones face on the sleeve. It should also be remembered that hands should still be sanitized or washed regularly.

Myth: Tamiflu will cure your flu.
Result: Busted.
“Tamiflu is not a cure,” pediatrician and allergist Dr. George McAnelly said. “It can be used as a preventative, and it is a treatment that decreases the amount of virus a person can spread and reduces effects of the virus, but is not a cure.”

According to the Tamiflu Web site, Tamiflu is only effective if taken between 12 and 48 hours of symptoms beginning.  However, unlike many medicines, Tamiflu and other related antivirals treat both the outward symptoms of the disease and the disease itself. Tamiflu is prescription only, though, which means that the only thoughts and decisions that matter are those of a licensed practitioner.

Myth: Bacon will give you swine flu.
Result: Busted.
“That is very much an urban myth,” Dr. McAnnelly said. “The virus is actually a combination of a human virus and a pig virus, so it is a mutation. It is primarily spread though respiratory droplets, such as when sneezing or coughing on someone, and through hand contact, such as sneezing and coughing and then touching another person.”

Few diseases transmit from animals to humans via meat that it is properly cleaned and cooked. Mad cow disease would be the notable exception; however, swine flu follows the rule.

Flu season is in full swing and many students are feeling its effects. These simple steps can help students avoid the flu and stay in school.

1.Most importantly, wash your hands. Hum “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or another short tune to ensure that you have washed your hands long enough. Hand sanitizer is an effective way to kill germs if you cannot access a bathroom to wash your hands. Clorox wipes are also a good way to disinfect things you often touch in your home and your car.

2.Drink lots of water to help flush out your system. Drinking orange juice once a day can also help boost your immune system with the vitamins and minerals it needs.

3.It seems obvious but try to avoid sneezers and coughers and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. If you do feel like you are getting sick, cover your mouth and nose when you are coughing and sneezing.

4.Eat nutritious food, get plenty of sleep, exercise and manage your stress to stay healthy and flu-free

Graphic Artist

As fears of a global epidemic of H1N1, better known as swine flu, increase, the pressure is on for the government to take action.

The H1N1 virus is a strand of flu virus with a combination of human, bird, and pig strands. Because very few have been exposed to this combination, lack of immunity against this virus fuels fears the swine flu could soon swell to epidemic proportions in a short time.

With schools opening again after a summer where in concerns over the swine flu decreased, the number of people diagnosed with swine flu has increased dramatically. In response to the threat, the US government has authorized $1.15 billion to manufacture enough of a vaccine to vaccinate the entire country.

The swine flu vaccine, while still in production, has been released to those who are most at risk of catching the swine flu. Unfortunately, in the rush to move the vaccine to public hands, many tests meant to determine how safe and efficient the vaccine really is. A strong backlash against any vaccine has been a matter of concern for many, especially parents, whose young children are most at risk of catching the swine flu.

However, few problems have been encountered with previous H1N1 flu vaccines, which is why if there are no serious issues that occur within the first few weeks after vaccination, the vaccine will the mass produced at a quick pace to meet the needs of a public at risk.

The last time the nation was caught on edge from swine flu was in 1976. After the distribution of the swine flu vaccine, a disorder known as Guillain-Barre syndrome started affecting those that had received the vaccine at a higher rate than projections previously stated.

Guillain-Barre is a rare and severe neurological disorder in which the immune system begins attacking the nervous system causing muscle weakness. The sudden influx in Guillain-Barre in response to the first swine flu gave the vaccine a still lingering bad name amongst many Americans.

Before the swine flu vaccine is available on a large scale, try to prevent your catching the swine flu as much as possible. Remember to avoid being around sick people, washing your hands with soap and hot water or hand sanitizer frequently, and sneezing into your sleeve or the inside of your shirt. Sneezing on your hands means spreading germs to everything you touch.

If you do catch the swine flu, stay home from work or school and do not come back until you have been symptom free for at least 24 hours.