Time for dose of common sense
Growing up in a large family meant sharing a lot of things — bedrooms, clothes, bathrooms, toys and germs. With three older sisters plus nephews and nieces who started arriving when I was 5 years old, it wasn't uncommon for the same cold or flu bug to cycle through the household — sometimes more than once. Add to that the day care my mom ran out of our house for several years, and our home was a virtual petri dish.
I was susceptible to respiratory infections from an early age. Being hospitalized with croup as an infant and sustaining damage to my sinuses in a playground accident at age 7 only added to my agony.
Despite being sick a lot, I was still allowed to be a kid. My mother knew that with kids come colds and flu. It was the early '80s; we didn't have antibacterial gels, foams, soaps, creams and lotions. We had Lysol. And that can only do so much in a house full of energetic kids.
When chicken pox made its way through my second- or third-grade classroom, my mom sent me to play with my friend Karen, who'd come down with the itchy disease. Mom knew that the older I got, the worse the pox would be for me, so she wanted me to get it. I didn't. Not until the seventh grade. And Mom was right: It was really bad — so bad I was almost hospitalized because my throat was full of the pox.
I hadn't thought much about that until all this talk of flu epidemics and H1N1 concerns began to surface over the last few months. In a time when hand sanitizer is as important a back-to-school item as crayons and scissors, it's hard to imagine a time when parents would get their kids together to play to expose them to chicken pox, like my mom did.
But times have changed for the better, I think. Now there's a vaccine for chicken pox — the flu, too. And now doctors are recommending an H1N1 vaccine for high-risk groups such as those 6 months to 24 years of age, pregnant women and people whose bodies may have been weakened by pre-existing medical conditions.
Unlike flu strains that are risky for seniors, H1N1 is problematic for young people, and area school districts are taking the threat seriously.
Last week, District 303 shuttered St. Charles East High School for three days when 45 percent of the school's 2,200-some students stayed home or fell ill during the school day and were sent home.
Almost immediately, the criticism began. I heard comments that panic over H1N1 has people thinking and acting irrationally, and that D303's leadership acted before they had all the facts. Others were quick to blame the school's homecoming activities the week before for the increase in illness and absenteeism.
What is so irrational about canceling classes when close to half a school's students appear to have fallen ill? If we'd never heard of H1N1 and this was an outbreak of strep throat, would anyone be second-guessing D303's decision?
Here's a thought. How about a little common sense and a little less finger-pointing?
If you're sick, stay home. If you're at risk, get vaccinated. Wash your hands frequently. Cover your mouth when you sneeze. Stay informed and learn what you can do to stay healthy. Do what school districts and health officials ask you to do to keep yourself and your children safe.
And let school districts do what they must to ensure that the health and well-being of all their students aren't being compromised. Their decisions aren't being made based on whims but rather at the suggestion of the health department and on guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.
If it means one less football game, one less play rehearsal or one less day discussing "Romeo and Juliet" before a big test, it's worth it to keep our kids healthy and safe.
Community news editor Julia Doyle can be reached at 847-888-7709.
