As the temperature drops, it seems the function of the student body’s immune systems does as well. From stomach flu to strep throat, November makes the proverbial start of the retail Christmas season but also the spread of millions of germs.
Most students are familiar with the annual muddling through- class with a fever due to cold weather combined with the stress of preparing for exams. However, with new superviruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the rise, questions are now being raised as to whether or not the mandatory attendance policy that keeps sick students in class is actually a dangerous breeding ground for these new biohazards.
According to the Center for Disease Control’s 2013 report, drug resistant bacteria are among the most important issues facing the country’s population today.
In the forward of the report, Dr.Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, director of the CDC, stated, “Antimicrobial resistance is one of our most serious health threats. Infections from resistant bacteria are now too common, and some pathogens have even become resistant to multiple types or classes of antibiotics (antimicrobials used to treat bacterial infections). The loss of effective antibiotics will undermine our ability to fight infectious diseases and manage the infectious complications common in vulnerable patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, dialysis for renal failure, and surgery, especially organ transplantation, for which the ability to treat secondary infections is crucial.”
In the report, he continues to detail the extent of the crisis of bacteria and viruses that have grown resistant to drugs used to treat them.
Of the at least two million people with significant bacterial infections treated with antibiotics each year, no less than 23,000 die as a direct result of antibiotic resistant bacteria, not including those who pass from complications of the infection that could not be combated with the antibiotics.
While the numbers alone are staggering, the report goes on to note a far graver outcome for the world as a whole. Should the resistant bacteria continue to appear at these rapid rates, science will be unable to keep up with the changing strains, as producing the antibiotic strains takes time to get from lab to market.
This also creates a dangerous situation as the world sinks further into global conflict, as bio-warfare becomes a greater concern.
Some experts fear countries in conflict will begin to access and use the drug-resistant bacteria to level populations across the globe, scenarios in which the U.S. would be powerless without the capability to keep up production of new, effective antibiotics.
So why should Longwood reconsider its attendance policy in order to combat these super viruses and bacteria?
To begin, the school should eliminate the policy that mandates students to attend class and allows for no more than three missed classes per semester. In most cases, this would allow students who are sick, including those with potentially-detrimental drug resistant infections, to selfquarantine themselves without fear of negatively affecting their grade.
This is extremely important in a college environment, as many students aren’t likely to head to a clinic or doctor until they have been feeling ill for a few days. In these days, the bacteria can rapidly spread through the body and to those around the ill individual.
If the student were in their room during this period, only to find out later they have a drug resistant strain, the university would be able to better manage and gain control over those exposed and treat accordingly.
While the policy, to its credit, does encourage students to attend class even when it’s not their top priority of the day, it should be considered dangerous in many ways. While it is unintentional, this policy still encourages the spread of potentially deadly disease to masses of students and faculty alike.
Longwood students should beware of spreading illness around campus. If you are not feeling well, you should not risk infecting your classmates. Instead, stay in bed, get healthy and take this opportunity to study in the quarantined space of your room.
