Period at the end of this sentence is the size of Tiger Times Staff.
PANDEMIC
SIS students vaccinated Nov. 23, 2009 804 (out of 1148)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) 2002-2003 774 fatalities
H1N1 2009 6770 fatalities (as of date of publication)
Hong Kong flu 1968-1969 ~1,000,000 fatalities
Asian flu 1959-1958 ~2,000,000 fatalities 1918 Spanish flu 1918-1920 ~50,000,000 fatalities
Seasonal Flu Annual 36,000 fatalities (in USA)
By Chris Kim
H1N1’s elusive truth Putting H1N1 into perspective Consider seasonal influenzas, which claim about 36,000 lives annually in the United States alone, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In comparison, H1N1, declared a pandemic on June 11, has caused a little over 6,770 deaths worldwide as of Nov. 20, 82 of those in South Korea. However, it is worth noting that H1N1 is a strain of the influenza virus that spreads particularly rapidly; there have been over half a million laboratory confirmed cases worldwide thus far. Still, considering how serious flu outbreaks can get, H1N1 is comparatively mild. The most recent global flu pandemic, the Hong Kong flu, caused one million deaths 1968 to 1969. “Yearly [influenzas] pose a greater risk,” said Peter Corcoran, High School Principal. “H1N1 is markedly different. Its speed of transition is great, although it is not as deadly. There’s a balance there.” The panic surrounding the H1N1 pandemic is the result of the combination of its rapid transmissin and the demographic groups that are most at risk of falling ill with it: it is the student population that is most at risk. The Korean Center for Disease Control (KCDC) reports that 97% of H1N1 cases in Korea apply to the student population, from kindergarten to university – of these 24.5% are high school students. As for gender, 58% of H1N1 patients are male. It is no wonder then that schools nationwide are concerned. Not only are students highly likely to contract the flu, they spend most of their day in conditions highly conducive to the spread of the flu. The recommended radius for one’s personal space bubble is six feet, or approximately 1.83 meters – improbable and almost impossible in crowded public
places like schools. A similar situation occurred in 2002 when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) hit Hong Kong and China. That pandemic lasted eight months, infected 8,096, and killed 744. In comparison to the host of deadly pandemics the world has endured throughout history, the 2002 SARS outbreak was a minor case. Yet, the level of panic surrounding it showed that SARS had been blown out of proportion. Many shook their heads at the panic, criticizing that it was spreading more rapidly than the SARS virus itself. Sensational media coverage was blamed. Politicians were likewise attacked for fanning the flames. The Chinese government famously attempted to conceal statistics concerning the number of cases in the early months of SARS; ironically, this secrecy sparked speculation that death tolls were higher than they actually were. In their defense, it is natural for people to focus on the unusual – and deaths caused by new viruses are unusual. But if news agencies in 2002 reported that 90% of patients recovered instead of citing a 10% mortality rate, the public would not have been so anxious. The Internet has also been to blame. It allowed unjustified fears and wild rumors to reach a huge number of people in a short amount of time. Additionally, it facilitated the spread of hoaxes; some individuals purposely spread misinformation about SARS online. One would think the panic surrounding H1N1 is much the same as the one that surrounded SARS seven years ago. The headlines still report the number of deaths, not the number of those who safely recovered – which would be at least 490,000. Other than that, however, there are few similarities between the two.
But if news agencies in 2002 reported that 90% of patients recovered instead of citing a 10% mortality rate, the public would not have been so anxious.
Preventing disaster What separates H1N1 from previous pandemics and indeed, many previous catastrophies, is the efficiency and scope of the response to the outbreak. From individuals to governments, everyone is taking measures to fight the spread of the virus. “It is difficult to battle the transmission of the flu,” said Mr. Corcoran. “Things are going to spread. We just have to take as many precautions as we can and when it does occur, identify who has it and treat them. I don’t think it presents any more threat [than other sicknesses], especially now that we have vaccinations and Tamiflu.” Certainly, governments have been moving to combat H1N1 at national levels. For instance, President Barack Obama declared a national emergency over the epidemic on Oct. 26. Meanwhile, the Korean government has taken similar action; it plans to offer vaccinations first to students in November, to infants and pregnant mothers in December, and to seniors and military personnel by January 2010. There are no great shortages of vaccines, either, contrary to some skeptics’ claims. The United States government has purchased 250 million vaccines to treat a population of over 300 million, to be administered as soon as they are made and shipped. As of Nov. 17, 2,107,455 people received vaccinations in Korea, a figure that is ever increasing. SIS students received vaccinations on Nov. 23 as well. The threat posed by H1N1 is disproportional to the high degree of precautions we are taking. If anything, those very measures are preventing the flu from worsening. As the saying goes, better safe than sorry. It is possible to witness the many types of preventive measures at schools, including SIS, which operates under KCDC rec-
ommended guidelines. The most basic is sanitation. Janitors are instructed to clean frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs. Hand sanitizers have been placed in every classroom. Student temperatures are taken every morning and students with aboveaverage temperatures are sent home. Even in the extracurricular scene, such preventative measures were enforced. At the SEOMUN Conference, held from Nov. 5 to 7, delegates had their temperatures checked. “One of my delegates could not attend the entire conference because he or she had H1N1, according to his or her school,” said Herbert Chun (12), Deputy Assistant President of the Security Council at the event. One extreme measure, total school closure, has not been enforced by international schools so far, although individual classes have been closed. On Oct. 22, KIS closed its second grade for a week. The reason, according to its website, was that “In addition to the nine student cases in grade 2 we have one case in grade one, one case in grade 5 and one teacher with HINI.” The students kept up with their studies online. SIS also closed its kindergarten classes in the second week of November for similar reasons. “I don’t know whether to attribute SIS’ health with good luck, or [whether] we just take enough precautions,” said Mr. Corcoran. “The Korean government considered closing all schools for two weeks but they decided it wouldn’t be very effective. It’s the nature of people to gravitate towards groups. Even if we close, students will flock to malls or even end up in hagwons.” A relatively mild sickness Those who have experienced H1N1 attest to the relatively unremarkable nature of the flu. Preconceived notions regarding its severity rarely match. “[It’s similar to normal colds] except you have [intense head-
We just have to take as many precautions as we can and when it does occur, identify who has it and treat them.
aches] and a fever,” said Danbi Kim (10), who got the flu in the last week of October. “I also felt extremely cold on the inside but really hot on the outside. I could walk around in the first two days but it took a lot of energy. It was harder than running a marathon.” Danbi first noticed the illness when she started feeling dizzy and felt like passing out. At the end of that day, she was burning up with a fever, prompting her father, a physician, to take her to the emergency room the next day. “The fever went away quickly because I took Tamiflu and slept 16 hours but I was still coughing for the rest of the week,” said Danbi. “I wasn’t worried at all when I was sick. First of all I didn’t know it was swine flu so by the time the results came out four days later I was just lying around the house bored out of my mind, and I was just like oh, it was swine flu?” However, Danbi’s sickness required her to go to the emergency room. H1N1 is by no means a pushover. Albert Park (11) had a similar experience. He also had a severe headache prior to a fever, which broke after he took a dose of Tamiflu. “Thirty minutes after I started feeling dizzy, I was so sick,” said Albert. “My whole body ached. I don’t usually get serious colds but this was even worse than those. I went to the hospital and they did a saliva check, which confirmed that I had a 50% chance of having H1N1. I didn’t take the real test, which costs 100,000 won. I wasn’t panicking when I got it but I wasn’t happy that I didn’t have to go to school either because I was just too sick to think about anything. I couldn’t get up in the morning or do anything until I recovered.” However, the virus is still in its early stages, and the cold winter weather may increase its activity. Amid the wide range of possibilities for the development of H1N1, two are the most prominent. Either the virus will stay as it is until the general populace develops a measure of immunity to it – thus minimizing its danger significantly – or it will mutate into far deadlier strains.
Both are just as likely. “I think H1N1 is very highly exaggerated,” said Danbi. “I mean, I understand it’s highly contagious and there are some people who have a different version of the same virus who were constantly throwing up. But it really wasn’t that bad. My dad wasn’t freaking out or anything either. He did boil the cups and utensils and towels in the house though so my siblings wouldn’t get it.” The important thing to keep in mind is that H1N1 is not particularly lethal. In other words, the huge effort being made to minimize harm caused by the virus should not be a cue to panic. In a decade too often marked by failure to respond to catastrophes effectively – Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesian tsunami to name two – we have finally dealt with and are dealing with potential calamity properly. And we have done so because we acknowledged the severity of the pandemic before it was too severe to contain. “Let it run its course,” said Mr. Corcoran. “We’ll get through it. Some people will get it inevitably. Rather than speculating, we should listen to scientists. Just like on the cover of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: don’t panic.”
Just like on the cover of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: don’t panic.